The Plot
by Shinigami29
Summary: She was petite, but now that he was close up the puppet user could admire the lean muscles in her arms and the telling double-step stagger that any shinobi unconciously slipped into when in a crowded area.
1. The Beginning

**_Disclaimer: _**_Everything Naruto belongs to Kishimoto._

**The Beginning**

Two pairs of dark eyes searched for each other from across the lantern-lit square of Konoha's marketplace. Brightly coloured masks and elaborate costumes hid the identities of both of their companions, but if asked later anyone would be hard pressed to name either of the two in question. Drum beats and laughter and the loud verbrato of a woodwind band stopped them from calling out to one another, even though they were strangers. None of it mattered, both knew that they'd be in the same bed at the end of the night.

At least they would be, if Kankuro wasn't misreading the heated look in the red head's eyes.

_Aa... lucky,_ the brunette sighed happily to himself, picking up a skewer of takoyaki and dropping a hand full of loose change into the vendor's hands. _Gaara sends me to Konoha for some lame-ass delagetory mission, and not only do I come during a festival but it looks like I'll have an extra something to keep me warm! _He almost cooed in his happiness, giving the attractive redhead another lingering look before looking at the bored man standing with him.

"What's the deal with this festival anyways?" He asked the shadowed figure - the man was wearing a long yukata stitched in different shades of gray, with a wolf's mask tied behind the hair he had let hang loosely around his face.

"It started as some stupid romanticised notion to allow people to act like someone else without any regrets," the monotone voice of Nara Shikamaru drawled out from behind the mask. "Now it's some perverse competition to act like the biggest idiot without suffering the consequences."

"Hn," Kankuro nodded, tucking that information away. _I've seen more than a couple of idiots tonight._ He rubbed idly at his nose, feeling naked without his bunraku paint but knowing that only a handful of shinobi would recognize him without his telltale face paint - he had replaced his normal black attire with a casual set of clothes before joining Shikamaru at the festival. With a wide grin Kankuro turned his attention back to the redhead, only slightly disappointed that the woman's attentions were being distracted by a distinctly masculine figure dressed up as some parody of a dragon. _And she's been ignoring her fair share of idiots, as well. _"Do you know her?"

"No," Shikamaru replied evenly, not bothering to ask who he was talking about. "But we get visitors from all over the place whenever we have a festival. Civilian and shinobi alike."

The sand nin nodded absently, taking a bite of his takoyaki as he met the woman's dark eyes over the shoulder of her would-be suitor. There was something there, a sort of beckoning or plea powerful enough to rival a well placed genjutsu, but Kankurou just grinned at the woman before subtly shifting his attention to scrutinize the man with her. _I'm not going to fawn over you like that hormone driven hackjob. You've got to earn it. _But even as the thought was mulling through his mind he leaned closer towards Shikamaru to ask if the shadow user knew the dragon-dressed man.

This time Shikamaru turned his gaze to study the scene as well, but after a few minutes he just shrugged. "Without talking to him, it could be anyone. He's probably from the leaf though, or he wouldn't be as comfortable as he seems here in the marketplace."

"I'm not from leaf but I'm comfortable here," Kankuro pointed out.

"Which is probably the second reason she's eyeing you back," Shikamaru countered casually. "She's here to visit Konoha, and if you want to whisk her off to your bed you should probably let her continue to think you're from here."

"I didn't take you for the guy to give out pick-up advice," Kankuro spared the man a lecherous grin.

Shikamaru just shrugged. "You learn a bit about flirting being on the same team as Ino."

"Alright, what do you think I should do?" The puppet user asked curiously.

"She's interested because you're one of the few people not wearing a mask, ironically enough," the shadow user drawled, boredom coming back to him in full force as he turned his attentions elsewhere. "But as much as both of you are enjoying the game of eyeing each other from either side of the crowd, as soon as another unmasked man comes along that she's attracted to she'll probably go after him. Or a proper Konoha Ninja."

As if to prove his point a second man approached the redhead - while the newcomer was costumed in a traditional kimono with decorative ears perched on his head, his face was left uncovered showing off the tattoos on the man's cheeks. And if that didn't spell out the man's identity, the giant nin-dog at his side sealed it with certainty.

His redhaired enchantress blushed prettily at Inuzuka Kiba, diverting her eyes towards the ground as she pulled on the low-cut collar of her dark shirt. She had dressed simply in dark clothes and a black pair of sandals, but the material hugged her curves in all the right spots and the mesh of her long-sleeved shirt accented the hint of cleavage that peaked out from her tank top. Her vibrant locks were layered over her cheeks and brushed daintily across her neck, and her dark eyes didn't seem to miss the smallest of movements.

Kankuro glared as the Inuzuka heir laughed, reaching a hand out to tug on the woman's wrist. _Yes, she's gorgeous. Get your own! _But then her eyes moved over the Inuzuka's shoulder and met with his own dark gaze once again. Kankuro sucked in a gasp of air, the feelings between the two becoming tangible on the puppet user's tongue. Barely hearing Shikamaru's gruff laughter, he moved across the marketplace with a speed and grace he reserved for A-rank missions.

"Konban wa minna-san!" He spouted off melodically, not missing a step as he twisted Kiba's hand off of the redhead and slung an arm around the woman's shoulder. "How is everyone on this lovely night?" He aimed his too-wide grin at Kiba, who was busily shaking out the sudden cramp in his hand. He shared a quick look with the dragon-dressed man still in their company before looking at Kankuro.

"Marvelous," Kiba gritted out behind his own smile. The nin-dog at his side didn't bother hiding a growl. "We were all just going to-"

"Say goodnight for the evening," Kankuro's heart stopped when the silken voice of the vixen next to him met his ears. He managed to keep the grin plastered to his face. "Oyasumi, minna-san."

The redhead's slender figure slipped out from Kankuro's arm, but she clasped his hand as she walked away from the two men. Kankuro grinned, resisting the urge to wag his tongue childishly at the remaining two.

Once they were out of ear shot Kiba turned to the dragon-dressed man again, a frown deeply set on his face. "Did you recognize him..?" His companion shook his head. "Yeah, me neither..."

* * *

><p>Kankuro nearly groaned as she stopped by a little puppet theatre, but he couldn't stop the smile as he studied the woman next to him. She was petite, but now that he was close up the puppet user could admire the lean muscles in her arms and the telling double-step stagger that any shinobi unconciously slipped into when in a crowded area. <em>So she's a ninja... excellent. <em>Given the choice between a hardened kunoichi and a pretty civilian, Kankuro would pick the kunoichi every time; they were always quick and nimble, and would undoubtedly have superior stamina.

His vixen laughed, the sound spilling from her lips like a cascade of water over smooth stones. Kankuro felt a hot tingle go down his spine and settle in his loins before he turned his attention to the puppet theatre and the cause of her laughter.

The play wasn't one he was familiar with and the puppeteers didn't seem to care for traditional bunraku robes or style, but it was amusing to watch the main character be hit repeatedly by the maiden he was trying to confess to. _Might be that Naruto inspired this little play, _Kankuro chuckled.

Love triangles and more fighting developed with every new character that entered the scene, and Kankuro found himself mentally naming the puppets after people he knew. He knew it was a long shot, but he labeled the tall, stoic puppet who kept trying to herd all the rest of them together 'Kakashi'. _It'd be perfect if he had a book in his hands. And if he didn't seem to be very punctual. _He let out a bark of laughter as the maiden clobbered Kakashi the Puppet.

The redhead looked up at him shyly, surprise spelled out on her features, but Kankuro was happy to examine the stage that the puppeteers had set up. _Might not be traditional bunraku, but it still looks like fun. Maybe I should build something like it back home... the kids would like it. Gaara likes it when the kids are happy._

"You like puppet theatre?" She asked. Kankuro laughed again at the absurdity of the question.

"You could say that," he grinned ruefully, looking down to meet her eyes - he froze.

Her eyes were two pools of obsidian that sparkled up at him. She blinked owlishly, pulling her lower lip between her teeth as her irises scanned over his face - the colour was so dark that he couldn't see her pupils. Were they dilated with hormones? Would she let him drag her back to his room now? Or had they narrowed, sensing some cause for distaste for his person? He desperately wished for it to be the former.

"I'm glad," she smiled, and Kankuro let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "It's nicer that we have something in common."

_That sounded a little... off._ Kankuro let the comment slide, gesturing back to where Kakashi the Puppet was chasing the rest of the characters around with a stick. "The plays I'm used to are a little more... elaborate. But this seems fun. What do you like about it?"

"It's different," she sighed, looking back at the puppets with a touch of longing in her voice. "The puppets don't try to fool anyone, like actors do. They just make you laugh."

"That's one way to look at it, I guess," he mumbled. He liked that idea, that puppets couldn't lie the way that a human could. It made him feel somewhat proud to be a puppet master.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, but the puppeteer wasn't paying attention to the play any longer. He was pretty sure that his little vixen wasn't, either. _How do I move this to the bedroom..? _He asked himself, his fingers itching to reach out for her.

Before he could come up with a solution she turned and look up at him with her obsidian eyes. Kankuro was spell bound, watching as her pretty lips parted in a smile. "Are you hungry?" She asked, tilting her head cutely to one side.

Kankuro mentally groaned. "Peckish," he suppressed his frustration as best as he could.

"What's wrong?" She pouted, but he recognized the playful ring in her voice.

"I'm just trying to figure you out," he smiled, lifting a hand to brush a lock of hair from her eyes - she intercepted his hand, wrapping her pale fingers around his own before leaning to place a kiss on each of his digits.

He groaned out loud, causing her smile to grow. "I'm testing you."

"Testing me?" His voice was caught between a laugh and a shudder. She took pity on the puppeteer and turned to drag him away from the puppet theatre. _But are we going to bed yet..? _"Testing me for what?"

She didn't pause as she glanced over her shoulder at him, her obsidian eyes sparkling in the lantern light as she double-step-staggared her way through the crowd. Kankuro had to swallow the lump in his throat as she purred back at him, "I think you know."

* * *

><p>He didn't stop when she finally lead him to the door of an apartment - he pushed her against the wood, wrapping one hand around her neck while the other trailed over the outline of her body. He invaded her space, pushing a knee between her legs to rub at her core. A pretty flush covered the redhed's cheeks as her obsidian eyes looked up into his own.<p>

He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. "Do you have a name..?"

A pleasant hum emitted from her throat, but she didn't answer him. Instead she pulled at the hand on her neck - at first Kankuro thought she was trying to pull him away, but she just pushed his grip lower. With a ruthless grin he palmed one of her breasts, his other hand gripping her hip as he pressed closer to her. He moved to place a kiss next to her ear, causing her to visibly shudder.

"A name..?"

"Why should I tell you my name?" She giggled.

Kankuro frowned, and pulled away just far enough to stare back into her eyes. "So that I have something to call you."

She used the door behind her and a hand on his shoulder to leverage herself up high enough to kiss him. Her lips were too soft, too sweet for him to stay stubborn. He heard the lock turn, but barely registered stumbling into the apartment as he moved both of his hands to grip her muscled thighs - he barely had to hoist her up before her legs hooked over his hips and her arms wrapped around his neck. Kankuro managed to kick the door shut as she pulled away to gasp for air.

He blinked around the dark apartment, confusion settling over his features. _... I thought she was just visiting. This place looks well lived in... maybe a friend's? _"Where's the bedroom?" She shrugged, pulling herself close to kiss along his neck. Kankuro moaned lowly, squeezing her thighs. "You don't know?" She shook her head, then bit down on his shoulder to pull a hiss of pleasure from him. "Why don't you know?"

She sighed, pulling away from him with a pout. It almost made Kankuro regret asking so many questions. _Almost. _"I don't know who's apartment this is."

"... Wait." He blinked at her, barely able to make out her features in the dim light. "You took me to a random apartment, that you have no idea who the owner is, to have sex?" She nodded shyly, the blush back on her cheeks. _... why is that a turn on? _"What if they come home?"

"They're gone for the week," she shrugged up at him sheepishly. _How the fuck does she know that?_"The calendar on the fridge is marked. Family vacation." Kankuro looked up, and to his right he could make out the shapes of what could've been kitchen appliances. He gave his eyes half a minute to adjust, and he could make out what might've been a calendar with something scribbled on it. He turned his watchful eye back to the redhead. _Definitely a ninja. _"You couldn't have known that until after we got in."

"Could I?" She teased, pulling him towards her for another kiss. He moaned into her soft lips and found himself not caring. And mentally reminding himself to clean up afterwards.

She was pulling at his shirt when he started to walk again, ignoring any doors and stumbling into what resembled a living room. He tipped the woman onto the couch, letting her fall with an adorable squeal before he hastily started to remove his own clothes. He noticed her take a moment to pat her hair down before she smoothly pulled both of her shirts over her head.

Kankuro groaned loudly. She wasn't wearing any bindings.

His fingers fumbled over the fastening of his pants, but she sat up on her heels and pushed his hands away. With ease she peeled the offensive article of clothing down his legs as he shrugged himself out of his own shirt. She giggled as he tried to step out of his pants, only to realize that he had yet to take off his shoes.

Kankuro gave out a frustrated cry, but his little vixen just daintily moved aside so that he could sit down and untangle his legs from the mess he'd gotten in. She took the time to toe off her sandals and shimmy out of her pants - the puppeteer watched from the corner of his eye, and swallowed deeply when he realized that she wasn't wearing panties either.

Then he remembered.

"Fuck," he stopped his what he was doing, one shoe held loosely in his hands as he looked at the woman regretfully.

"What is it?" She asked, an amused lilt to her voice as she scooted back to lean against an armrest. Kankuro eyed her body hungrily, cursing himself. _I should have known that I wouldn't be this lucky..._

"I don't have any condoms."

Her laughter was beautiful, but it made him feel stupid. He felt himself flush, and looked away from her alluring body splayed out in the shadows of the apartment. She sat up again, moving to drap herself across his back and shoulders as she placed more kisses over his neck. He could feet her breasts press into his arm, slowly driving his brain to drivel. Then she pulled away, one pale hand moving to turn him towards her.

He watched as she quickly formed hand seals, too fast for his eyes to catch in the darkness. Her hands emitted a soft glow, which transferred to her skin when she placed them low on her abdomen. Then she flashed him a smile - it was a small one, and Kankuro wasn't sure how he'd describe it. Shy? Unsure? Scared? "What was that?"

"Medical jutsu," she whispered, lightly pushing him back into the couch. In one quick movement she was straddling his hips, her lips crashing into his own. He heard the soft _thud_ of his forgotten shoe hitting the floor as his hands molded themselves onto her back. She pulled away from him slowly, dragging his lower lip out with her teeth. Then she looked at him from beneath her dark lashes, that same small smile still on her lips. "You don't have to worry about condoms."

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Kankuro passed out from exhaustion, his tired legs propped up on the couch as he and his red haired vixen cuddled together on the floor. And it wasn't until almost sunrise that said vixen slowly got up, positive that the man with her was asleep.

She gathered her clothes quickly, but her eyes itched uncomfortably. Stepping into where she knew the bathroom to be, she shut the door quietly before she turned on the light. Then she dressed with lightening speed, pulling the short red wig off of her head to reveal dark blue hair. She rubbed at her itching lids as she leaned towards the mirror, then with hesitant fingers she pulled the black contacts out of her eyes.

Hinata sighed at her reflection as she stood back up, carefully holding onto the contacts and wig to dispose of later. She activated her byakugan before she turned out the light, and quietly sneaked out of the apartment.


	2. The Basics

**The Basics**

She slipped into Kurenai's house unannounced, the first beams of sunlight just starting to peak through the windows. She tiptoed towards the kitchen, holding her breath as she moved as discretely as possible past the silent living room. So it was no wonder that she nearly tripped over her own feet when a voice piped up at her. "I'm awake you know."

"I-Ino-san!" Hinata hissed lowly, holding a hand over her heart. "Don't _do_ that!"

"Do what?" The blond was stretched out on the couch, still dressed in the loose kimono she had worn to the festival. A pretty mask and a matching purse were sitting on the coffee table, hinting at the traditional guise of a geisha.

"Be all... sneaky," the Hyuuga woman huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Which brought the red wig she was holding into view - she had disposed of the contacts along the way.

"Get good use out of that?" Ino asked with a sly grin, drawing herself up to sit properly in front of the Hyuuga Heir.

Hinata blushed, taking a step into the room and dropping the wig onto the table with the rest of Ino's things. "Hai... arigatou, Ino-san." _I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you._

The blond eyed Hinata warily, letting out a deep sigh as she blew her bangs out of her face. It had been Ino who told Hinata not to waste chakra on a long term genjutsu, not that the blond had doubted that Hinata would have been able to pull it off. No, Ino had been perfectly clear that chakra could be better spent doing _other _things when seducing a man. And that more traditional disguises, while needing more maintenance, would fool a lustful man just as well as any genjutsu would. "You actually went through with it, didn't you?"

Hinata didn't respond, just turned on her heel and left the room. She continued to the kitchen, her original destination, to make a pot of tea and some breakfast for Kurenai and her little daughter.

Ino was up and following her faster than she could think, and Hinata held back a sigh. _I don't want to talk about this right now... _"Well?" The pretty kunoichi asked her, tugging her kimono into a more proper fashion as they both stepped into the kitchen. Ino frowned at Hinata's continued silence. "Did you do it?"

"Do what?" Hinata remarked back at her evenly, reaching for the fridge. She paused for half a moment as she looked at the food stored inside. _I wonder if the boys are all coming by this morning, too..?_

Ino let out a little whine, but Hinata didn't mind. The two women had grown closer over the couple of years since Asuma had died, mostly because of both of their infatuation with little Asa, Kurenai's daughter. The members from their old genin teams, too, had all become friendlier with one another and not a night passed by that one or two of them didn't sleep over at Kurenai's house to help out with the chores and Asa. _Although normally they sleep in the guest room..._

Hinata gave Ino a familiar look, and the blond shrugged. "Kiba beat me to the bed. I love you guys, but I am _not _sharing a blanket with the flea-bag." Hinata giggled, shaking her head at the blond before pulling out some bacon and ham to fry up with an omurice. And then she stiffened, remembering the night before.

With a groan Hinata put the food away, trying not to look at a confused Ino. _Why did he have to find me at the festival..? It would've been just fine if he hadn't noticed me... _"Didn't you say you were going to keep Kiba busy last night..?"

Ino snorted. "I would have. But then the flea-bag showed up."

Hinata rolled her pale eyes. "Of course Akamaru was there." The Hyuuga woman moved out of the kitchen quickly, Ino bouncing after her. "They go everywhere together. And stop calling him a flea-bag."

"Then tell Kiba to get rid of his fleas," Ino grumbled. _But he doesn't have fleas... _Hinata was convinced that the blond just didn't like how Kiba would pay the nin-dog more attention than Ino. Ino disliked it whenever anyone payed her less attention than someone, or something, else.

Both women stepped into the bathroom, and while the thought of having a bath together still made Hinata blush she knew better than to ask Ino to leave. Instead she pulled a towel off of the rack to help preserve a small amount of her modesty before she turned her back to the blond and striped off her clothing. Ino let out a low whistle, causing Hinata's cheeks to flush brightly. _Why does she always insist on teasing me..?_

Ino was already naked and filling the tub with hot water, so Hinata choose to sit and start scrubbing off the sweat from the night before. She could feel her blush travelling down the back of her neck at the memories.

"So, was he any good at least?" Ino asked, settling down next to the Hyuuga woman and started to rub soap onto her long legs. _Oh Kami-sama... yes. Yes he was. _Hinata started to worry at her lower lip with her teeth, determined not to react to Ino's jabs. The blond grumbled at her continued silence and moved to scrub Hinata's back clean.

"Ee!" the Hyuuga woman tensed immediately, but before she could pull away Ino clamped an iron-grip on her shoulder. Once Hinata settled down, the blond continued to scrub her back. _I can do it myself... _Hinata whimpered mentally, but knew better than to tell Ino otherwise.

Between the two of them, Hinata was scrubbed clean and rinsed off in no time. Then Ino sat down and passed the soap to Hinata, exposing her back to Hinata with a flourish of her flaxen hair. Hinata sighed, but took the hint in stride and began to clean the other woman off. Barely a few seconds of blessed silence passed before Ino was at it again. "Did you get his name?"

Hinata let out a sigh, but again didn't answer. _There was no need to learn his name. _She finished scrubbing Ino's back quickly, then moved to sink herself into the hot water of the bath.

Ino turned to look at her, a sad smile gracing her lips - it was a smile that Hinata had worn several times the night before. "Talking about it makes it better, you know."

Hinata giggled. "You want me to talk to the village gossip..?" she teased, biting one of her knuckles to stop the full-on laughter as Ino crossed her arms just underneath her breasts and huffed out her displeasure.

"I can keep a secret, too!"

Hinata just smiled, and waited for the blonde to get over being teased and get into the tub with her - it didn't take long. Both women settled down with the hot water nearly touching their chin's, Hinata holding her knees to her chest loosely while Ino lazed with her legs over the side of the tub. Hinata's cheeks were still red, but she managed to convince herself that it was more due to the heat than the extra company. And then she let her mind drift, caught up in happy memories over the last couple of years.

* * *

><p>Ino hadn't questioned Hinata when she used a fire jutsu to burn the clothes she had been wearing the night before. The blond even ventured out into the house to bring the Hyuuga something new to change into, and then they both headed back to the kitchen for breakfast.<p>

Chouji was already at the counter, carefully folding an omurice. He exchanged pleasant greetings with both of the women, but Hinata squirmed under his shinobi gaze. _Does he know..? I didn't tell him anything before... but maybe Ino did? _But the man didn't comment, instead he turned back to his cooking as the two women sat down. "How did you guys enjoy the festival?"

"It was fun!" Ino jumped onto the conversion eagerly. "But it didn't take long before people figured out who I was, so I didn't get to do anything outrageous."

"Did you find Shikamaru?" Chouji asked, amusement laying thick in his voice. He cast Hinata another look as he turned to set out plates for everyone.

"Kiba is here, too," Hinata told him softly. Chouji nodded and grabbed another plate, turning back to the whining Ino.

"I bet that lazy jerk didn't even go!" She complained.

"Did you see a man wearing a wolf mask and a gray Yukata?" Chouji asked - Hinata tensed, a subtle movement that caught both of her companions attentions.

"Hai, a couple of times," Ino nodded. "You're joking, that wasn't him, right?"

Chouji nodded back to her with a chuckle as Ino bemoaned about her inability to recognize her lazy teammate. Then he turned his knowing eyes onto Hinata, and asked her with a smile "did you see Shikamaru as well?"

"Hai, just once," Hinata nodded, not bothering to lie. Lying would attract more of their attention than telling the truth would. "But I was running away from Shino and Kiba at the time, so I didn't see him again."

"Why were you running from them?" Ino asked as Chouji put the first omurice on her plate - everyone knew what would happen if the blond was fed second. _Utter mayhem._

"You know how they both are," Hinata sighed, bracing her elbow on the table as she resting her chin in her palm. She closed her eyes as well, hoping that she pulled off the nonchalant effect as well as Ino always did. _They both know me too well, and either of them would have figured it out in an instant if they stayed with me. _"Overly protective and worrisome. I just wanted all of us to have fun."

"I can see that you had fun," Chouji snickered. Hinata blinked open her eyes and stared at the larger man curiously. _Where did that come from? _But Chouji just turned back to his cooking, the second omurice almost done.

"I'm going to go wake up Kiba!" Ino announced quickly, bounding up out of her seat with her breakfast barely touched. Hinata stared after her for a minute, but Kurenai entered the kitchen just as Ino was leaving.

"Ohayoo, minna-san," Kurenai cooed at them all happily. Asa was still in bed, probably too tired after the festival to wake up at her normal hour.

Hinata smiled and was about to return the greeting when Kurenai fixed her red eyes on her. The look from her former sensei was unsettling, like she was peering into the Hyuuga's memory and learning about every moment of the night before. _She doesn't know. _Hinata told herself stubbornly, trying not to fidget. "O-ohayoo, Kurenai-san."

"Oh Hinata," Kurenai sighed, her shoulder's slumping even as a pretty smile graced her lips. Chouji started to snicker again, and Hinata frowned. _What's this all about? _"Come here dear. My make up is upstairs in my room."

"Make up..?" Hinata's frown deepened, and Chouji broke out into outright laughter. _What's wrong?_

"Hai," Kurenai nodded, reaching forward to grab a hold of Hinata and pull her out of her chair. "If Kiba sees you with hickies on your neck, he'll hunt down whomever it was who gave them to you." Hinata flushed, both of her hands immediately moving to cover her neck. Chouji nearly fell over, and she obediently followed Kurenai out of the room.

* * *

><p>Kiba and Asa were both up and at the table when they returned. Hinata smiled, watching as Kiba fawned over the little girl in his lap and helped her to eat a small bowl of rice porridge. She tried not to let her nervousness show as she reclaimed her spot at the kitchen table, and Kurenai didn't hint at anything as she eased herself into her own seat.<p>

"Ohayoo sensei, Hinata," Kiba nodded at both of them, holding Asa's spoon for her. The little girl giggled, reaching for the spoon and wrapping both of her tiny hands around Kiba's larger one.

"O-Ohayoo, Kiba," Hinata nodded, unable to stop the nervous stutter. She took a deep breath and smiled at everyone at the table. Now that she took the time to notice, Chouji's grin was a little too large and Kurenai wouldn't meet her eye. Ino was the only one who acted indifferently, but Ino was second only to Shikamaru when it came to indifference. "Did you enjoy the festival?"

"Other than that confusing couple of minutes when you let some guy drag you off into the crowd?" Kiba asked bluntly. Everyone but Ino flinched, but even the blond couldn't stop her smile from growing. _Oh... Kiba. Please don't make this any worse... _"Yeah, it was tons of fun," he smiled up at her, his twitching nose the only indication that he smelled something off. "Are you wearing make up?"

"The girls and I are going out shopping today," Kurenai covered smoothly. Hinata sent her a grateful smile. "I helped Hinata do her make up, and then Ino is going to help her pick out an outfit."

"What happened to the clothes you were wearing yesterday?" Kiba asked curiously. Hinata looked pleadingly at the others at the table.

"Burned them," Ino picked up immediately. Hinata cringed at the blatant truth, but the blonde continued. "When I saw what she was wearing to the festival... ugh. Crime against nature! I couldn't let them survive to be pulled out again next year."

"Shame," Kiba sighed. "And here I thought that _guy_ liked them fine enough..." He settled his black eyes on Hinata, the barest hint of a glare hidden behind his wide smile. "Who was he anyways, Hinata-cha~an?"

Now everyone was looking at her, and Hinata let out a huff of a sigh as she looked away from them all. "Please... please drop all this?" _I don't want to talk about it. _Kiba opened his mouth to remark, but Hinata waved for him to stop. "It was just a guy. I don't know him, and I won't know him. Please. _Please _drop this." Kiba's mouth snapped shut, but he nodded. Asa pouted up at him, muttering an adorable plea to be fed, and everyone returned to breakfast.

When they were done Kurenai offered to do the dishes while Kiba and Chouji went to play with Asa in the girl's room. Ino took Hinata by the hand and pulled the Hyuuga woman into the living room. Wordlessly she pushed Hinata to the couch before she formed three familiar hand seals. As a soft glow started to emit from the blonde's hands Hinata lifted up the front of her shift. Ino pressed the chakra into Hinata's lower abdomen, and both of them watched as the light slowly seeped into her pale skin.

Then Ino sat down. Hinata hugged herself tightly, resting her head against Ino's shoulder as the older woman sighed. "This is messed up. I didn't think you'd actually do it."

"But you're still going to help me," Hinata replied softly. Ino nodded, lifting a hand to squeeze Hinata's arm.

"Are you sure you want to leave mystery-man in the dark..? I'm sure we could find him."

"Iie," Hinata shook her head. "It's better if he didn't know that I tricked him. Besides..." she looked up at Ino with a smile. "I have all of you to help me raise my baby."


	3. The Next Day

**The Next Day**

He awoke to the uncomfortable feeling of a boot digging into his ribs. Rolling over with a groan, he pulled his legs off of their perch from the couch and contented to fall back to sleep. Then the boot came back, digging into his spine this time. He groaned again, but opened his eyes just wide enough to look up at the person who was trying to wake him up.

"Fuck Shikamaru. I'm trying to sleep."

"Do you know how long it took me to find you?" The shadow user accused coldly. "Put some clothes on, we're not supposed to be here."

The night before slowly filtered back into Kankuro's memory, but his initial happiness was washed away by the cold realization that it was only him and Shikamaru in the little apartment. "Was that redhead here?"

"No," Shikamaru shook his head, and Kankuro took a moment to look over the other man. He was wearing the normal jounin attire, and his hair was pulled back into it's normal high ponytail. Nothing like the casual yukata and flowing hair from the night before. "Just you," Shikamaru dropped a bag beside Kankuro's head, "and you're naked ass. I brought your things. Get dressed."

Grumbling, Kankuro sat up and opened the bag. Finding his face paints in the bottom he stood up and made his way towards the first door - opening it, he found a small bedroom. _Huh. Well, it's probably better that we didn't use it._

"I assure you that I don't care if you get dressed in front of me," Shikamaru drawled out.

"But I care if I smell," Kankuro drawled back. "I already _used_ their couch. Whose ever apartment this is probably won't even notice if I take a shower." Shikamaru sighed, but any words were lost as Kankuro found the bathroom and closed the door between himself and the shadow user.

It was small, but the shower was clean and the mirror was large enough for him to see his entire reflection. He let the water heat up as he pulled his robes out of the bag Shikamaru had brought him, carefully putting his bunraku paints on the counter - Shikamaru hadn't packed the brushes he normally used to apply the paint, but that was alright. Kankuro would make do with using his fingers.

He made the shower a short affair, using a minimal amount of soap to get rid of the sweat from the night before. He dried off as fast as he could, pulling on his normal trousers and black kimono-top - he tied the sash around his waist a little tight, but didn't bother to fix it as he quickly arranged the wrappings around his wrists and ankles.

The normal care he put into his make up was lost as he used a pinky to quickly make the markings over his eyes and across his face. He painted his lips last, giving his features a once over to make sure nothing was smudged before he pulled up his hood and tossed all the loose ends back into the bag. Finally he left the bathroom and returned to the living room to gather the rest of his things.

"Took you long enough," Shikamaru snorted, leaning against the kitchen entrance. He had a glass of milk in his hands.

"Drinking their groceries isn't exactly being discrete," Kankuro pointed out, carefully looking around the small room to find all his garments of clothing. _Where the hell did my shirt go?_

"It will have expired by the time they get back," Shikamaru shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "And it's under the coffee table."

"Thanks," Kankuro moved to snag the discarded shirt, and discovered his left sock and both of his shoes as well. "How was the rest of the festival?"

"Boring," Shikamaru sighed, and Kankuro heard him walk farther into the room. "Ino was flirting with half of the village again. Chouji and I spent most of our time telling people exactly who she was - they didn't bother taking her home after that."

"Oi, that's mean," Kankuro laughed. He grabbed the rest of his clothes and closed the bag, then stood up to study the room. _It's off. Did we move the couch? _"You should've let the blond bombshell out to have some fun!"

"She gets more than enough fun without me and Chouji discouraging her... _suitors__,_" the word sounded sour in the man's mouth, but Kankuro didn't blame him - he'd scared away his fair share of 'suitors' running after Temari. _It was fun to watch them squirm... _He eyed the carpets carefully, finding the time worn indents marking the original place of the couch and pulling the piece of furniture back into place. Then he eyed the room again, happier.

"Finish your drink and lets get going," Kankura sang as he practically skipped out of the door. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but did as he was told.

* * *

><p>The afternoon sun shone down harshly on the duo as they walked down the street. Shikamaru had informed him that he didn't have any meetings to attend to today - they had been cancelled when the puppeteer couldn't be found in the morning.<p>

"My bad," Kankuro shrugged sheepishly, causing Shikamaru to sigh.

"It's fine - the Godaime slept in as well," the shadow user admitted. "We've simply pushed them back another day. That pushes your departure back another day as well."

Kankuro waved off Shikamaru's apologetic voice. "It's fine. So I'll leave at the end of the week, instead of in four days? Whatever. No big deal."

The puppeteer fought not to snicker as he watched Shikamaru's eyebrow raise in a question. "I said we'd push the meetings back one day, not three."

"Yeah," Kankuro nodded. "But do you really think that the Godaime is going to keep to all of our appointments in a timely fashion..? I mean, no offense to her or anything, but talking about establishing a more permanent trade route between our villages? _Boooring_. I don't blame her for playing hookie so much." _Plus, I wanna figure out who my redhead is before she leaves the village..._

Shikamaru gave him a lingering look, and Kankuro didn't bother trying to convince himself that the shadow user hadn't figured out his ulterior motives. He didn't care, so long as Shikamaru didn't try to stop him. _I wonder how long she's going to be in the village for..? We didn't really talk about much, other than the puppet theatre..._

"Temari always told me that you didn't care about women," Shikamaru said at a length.

"Bah," Kankuro gave a little shrug. "If nothing comes of it, then nothing comes of it. But she liked puppets, and in a way that not a lot of other people do. She's..." He wasn't sure how to describe her. He could still see the way her obsidian eyes sparkled up at her, brighter than black eyes should be allowed to be. And the soft, sweet taste of her lips. And the adorable way she squealed when he found out that her ribs her ticklish while he was on top of him, and how he used that information to gain an upper hand.

"Intriguing?" Shikamaru offered. Kankuro nodded. _Intriguing is a good word to describe it._ "Well, I saw Kiba with her before you both decided to break into a civilians apartment. Maybe he remembers something?"

"Hey, that was her idea, not mine!" Kankuro snapped at him.

"Sure," Shikamaru laughed and took a quick turn that had Kankuro stumbling to follow him. "Come on - we'll go to Kurenai's house and see if he's there. Maybe he recognized her."

Kankuro groaned. "I don't wanna ask him to help if he was trying to get with her, too!" _Talk about awkward._

"Get with her?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow again at Kankuro's choice of words. "I'd suggest you clean up that language before we get there. Kurenai won't like it, and Ino will slap you if she's there."

* * *

><p>They arrived at the woman's house in time for lunch, if the smells coming from the kitchen were any indication. Kankuro tried not to drool as he followed Shikamaru through the house, but Kiba wasn't there.<p>

"Konichi wa," a fat man greeted them from his place at stove. Kankuro waved, trying to place the man's name. _I know we've met before, and I know he's friends with Shikamaru... _He looked at his friend and guide pleadingly, and Shikamaru spared him an amused smile before moving to give the little girl seated at the table a hug.

"Konichi wa Chouji," Shikamaru said pointedly, making sure to meet Kankuro's eyes before he gestured towards the man. Then he sat next to the little girl and started to chat with her about her day.

"Konichi wa," Kankuro said as well, dropping his bag to the floor before he moved to stand next to the man cooking. _Obviously Shikamaru is going to be useless for awhile. But it's probably better not to ask Kiba... that would be weird. _"Have we met before?"

"Hai," Chouji laughed at him. "We were in the Chuunin exams together two years in a row - you graduated your second time around, if I remember correctly. Same as Ino. It took me three tries."

"Aa... yeah, those exams can be rough," Kankuro shrugged. "I had it easy the second time around, 'cause they hosted it in Suna. It was a walk in the park."

"Mn," Chouji nodded. "Your brother and sister both graduated then as well, right?" Kankuro nodded. "Hai, it was a good year for sand. Cloud hosted it next, and they had these _amazing _dumplings -"

"Chouji is convinced that it was the dumplings that made him pass," Shikamaru threw into the conversation. Everyone heard the door open and three feminine voices enter, but none of them stopped their conversation.

"But they were _so_ good!" Chouji insisted. Kankuro just grinned.

"Temari makes the worst dumplings ever," he pulled a face at the memory, catching the figures of three women walking into the kitchen as he turned to look solemnly at Chouji. "You didn't eat her dumplings before the exam, did you? If you did I'll back you up that it was sabotage."

"Oi, don't let Temari catch you saying that!" A familiar voice jumped in immediately. One look told him that it was Ino, Shikamaru's old teammate and his sister's unspoken rival. Not that Temari would ever admit to it - then she'd have to admit that she flirted with the shadow user just to make the blonde woman jealous. "She'll poison your sake for sure!"

"I'll challenge her to find a poison in Suna that I don't have the antidote for," Kankuro sneered playfully at the blonde. _And hopefully she'll never hear about this challenge, because I'm _not_ convinced that I'd win. _"I hear that a certain couple of individuals were keeping you from having fun last night?"

Chouji started to whistle, and Shikamaru suddenly became overly talkative in his attentions towards the little girl. Ino eyed them both with an angry glint in her eye, but settled her immediate attentions on Shikamaru.

With a laugh Kankuro looked at the other two women. _Kurenai must be the older one_, he thought absently, smiling as the older woman picked the little girl up from the one-sided argument between Ino and Shikamaru. The two shared a heartwarming hug, the woman spouting some baby-talk nonsense about putting the girl down for a nap as she stepped out the the kitchen again. Leaving one.

It was obvious that she was a Hyuuga, but once again Kankuro couldn't place the name. _I think we were at the chuunin exams together. But what's her name? _He followed the line her hair made as it was draped over her shoulder, fighting back a groan when he noticed the thick and baggy clothes she wore. _She dresses like a spinster. _But when his gaze made it's way back to her face he froze slightly, her eyes locked with his own.

Her bright, pupil-less eyes sent a hot shock down his spine as she blinked at him owlishly. He pulled in a shuddering breathe and looked back towards Chouji, trying to ignore the feeling.

* * *

><p>Ino and Hinata took their lunches to eat in the livingroom, leaving the boys to talk. The two women sat down in the same spots that they had inhabited that morning, both of them picking at their food with their chopsticks. Ino keep up a constant banter about the clothes they had seen while shopping, and how vile Temari was, and what a jerk Shikamaru could be, and-<p>

Ino sighed, stopping her triad to look at the Hyuuga girl beside her. Hinata picked up her sudden silence and looked at the blond worriedly. "What's wrong Ino?"

"What's wrong?" Ino frowned. "You intentionally got yourself pregnant, and you're asking me what's wrong?"

"It's not for sure that I'm pregnant," Hinata pointed out, picking up another piece of chicken to chew on. She felt eerily calm about the entire thing.

Ino huffed. "Do you know how many times I've performed that fertility jutsu..? You're pregnant. You just don't know it yet."

Hinata shrugged. "We talked about this weeks ago."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Ino waved her chopsticks in the air irritably. "But it was all supposed to be a joke. We're _too young _to be having our own kids, Kurenai even said so."

"She also said that it would be nice if all of our children could play together," Hinata shot back at her. The two women's eyes locked together, but Hinata wouldn't back down. She had been thinking about this too much.

Ino finally looked away, poking at her stir fry sullenly. "I could've done it."

Hinata shook her head. "I don't want to mess anything up between you and Shikamaru."

"_I'm not seeing Shikamaru!_"

Hinata cringed at Ino's loud shriek, and heard a pause in the boys' conversation in the kitchen. After a few tense seconds their conversation slowly started up again, and Hinata let out a giggle. "You always yell when someone says that."

"That's because _everyone_ says it," Ino insisted. "Do you know how _annoying _it is when people keep thinking that you're dating someone, even if _everyone _has seen you date _anyone _else?"

_That's because we all just think you're avoiding the inevitable, _Hinata giggled again. "That's exactly what I don't want you to go through. If you get pregnant, everyone will think it's Shikamaru's." Ino opened her mouth to protest, "or they'll think that you've cheated on Shikamaru. Or that you got pregnant on a mission and that Shikamaru is going to help you raise the child. It will all lead back to Shikamaru."

Ino grumbled, but shut her mouth.

Hinata smiled back at her. "No one expects me to... No one _expects_ me to be with anyone."

"What will your father say..?" Ino asked her worriedly.

But Hinata had already thought of everything. She was pretty proud of her plot, even if it had been nerve wracking to go through with the first part of it. The next steps would be easy. "He'll try to disown me again. I just need to convince him and the Godaime that there's another option."

"And what is that _other option_?"

Here Hinata sighed again. "I haven't quite figured that part out yet..."

Ino let out a frustrated growl and angrily stabbed at her stir fry with her chop sticks. Hinata giggled again, slowly picking up a piece of carrot to chew on.


	4. The Party

**The Party**

"Seriously?" Kankuro asked Izumo Kamizuki, one of the guards on duty. "You haven't seen any redheads?"

"I think I'd notice a redhead," Izumo snapped. Kankuro would've snapped too, had he been subjected to ten minutes of useless questions. "Especially one that's not from Konoha. A red haired genin came back with her team yesterday, and a red haired jounin left this morning - but he was definitively not a woman."

Kankuro sighed, thanking Izumo and giving Kotetsu an idle wave as he walked back into the village where Shikamaru was waiting for him. _Well, that was a waste of my time._ Every day, whenever he didn't have a meeting, Kankuro and his lazy escort would try one hare-brained tactic or another in the attempt to figure out who the redhaired enchantress whom had caught Kankuro's attentions was. And every day they found out nothing.

"Wait until Temari hears about this," Shikamaru mused, already turning around to take Kankuro back to the Hokage Tower - there was one final meeting before the puppeteer departed that afternoon.

"Oh shut up," Kankuro snapped out testily, his nerves on end. While he wasn't one to whore himself out to every lady that came along, it was no secret that Kankuro had seen more than his fair share of promiscuous women. _This isn't any different than any past fling, _Kankuro told himself, shaking his head sullenly.

"Denial again?" Shikamaru tutted out in amusement. The puppeteer shot him a glare.

"Obviously it wasn't important to her, so it won't be important to me," Kankuro reasoned aloud. He tried not to think about how he sounded like he was trying to convince himself instead of the shadow user. "She wouldn't even tell me her name."

"Hopeless," Shikamaru sighed. Kankuro silently agreed.

They continued in silence for awhile, Shikamaru occasionally slowing down to gesture to their next turn or Kankuro skipping a step to catch up to the shadow-user; Kankuro tried not to lose himself in his thoughts, but he couldn't seem to stop the memories of the night of the Festival from coming back to him. The easy way his red vixen had double-step-staggared through the crowds, one pale hand holding onto his wrist and leading him towards that random, empty apartment. (Kankuro almost tripped over his feet when Shikamaru led him past the building, and by the way that he had snickered Kankuro was pretty sure that the shadow-user had led them there on purpose.) Her musical laughter as she watched a childish puppet play, mirth in her eyes as she explained to him exactly _why_ she had stopped to look at the theatre. (He still played her words over in his head - _"The puppets don't try to fool anyone, like actors do."_ Had she fooled him?) And, by far his least favourite memory of her, the company that she had been in before he dragged her off into the night.

Kankuro smirked to himself. _At least that mutt-nin doesn't realize it was me who stole his girl that night. _He had run into Kiba several times over the past few days, mostly whenever Shikamaru took him over to the house that belonged to his dead sensei's lover. The first time he had run into the canine-lover Kankuro had been nervous, unsure of what to expect. Would Kiba recognize him with his clan's reknown tracking skills? Would he congratulate the puppeteer? Would he be angry?

Whatever anxious feelings that Kankuro had mentally obsessed over before seeing Kiba were washed away when the Inuzuka sniffed at the puppeteer in distaste and complained about the heavy, bitter scent of paint that followed Kankuro around. The instant relief of knowing that Kiba and his nin-dog didn't recognize Kankuro's scent when he was in his bunraku paints was almost enough to make the puppeteer want to dance in the streets; as it was, he took to wearing extra paint on his arms and shoulders just in case a lingering whiff of his original aroma should happen to cross Kiba or his dog's sensitive noses.

"Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Huh?" Kankuro blinked a couple of times as he pulled himself out of his mental ravine. Shikamaru was standing in front of the Hokage tower, facing him in a look of mild concern. _When did we get here?_

"I'll take that as a no," the shadow-user sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "If you don't mind staying a couple more hours, Ino wants to throw a little dinner party for you - she usually gets everyone together to throw one for Temari before she leaves."

"I don't need a big send off."

Shikamaru smiled - it was an amused little tilt at the corners of his mouth, and it immediately set Kankuro's nerves on edge. "I realize that I worded it as a request, but it's not. Ino is throwing you a goodbye party." Kankuro opened his mouth to protest, but Shikamaru's smile melted into a practiced glare. "Either you go, or I'll never hear the end of it. So you're going." Kankuro shut his mouth again. He knew how Ino could be, and he could still remember the story that Temari had told him about when she tried to sneak off before the party only to have the blond kunoichi find her two hours outside of the gates and drag her back. _Better to just get it over with._

Kankuro sighed, but nodded in agreement. Shikamaru just turned around and led the puppeteer into the Hokage tower for the last of the delegatory meetings, content with Kankuro's response. Really, it was less painful for everyone.

* * *

><p>Kurenai had decided to stay home with Asa that night - something about <em>'letting the kids all have fun'<em> or some other nonsense that Ino shrugged off without too much thought. The older woman was welcome to do whatever she liked, and Ino didn't doubt that 'the kids' would have more fun without having to sensor themselves in front of a three year old. _I love Asa, but I love flirting too. _

Ino didn't know Kankuro that well - Sure, Temari spoke of him whenever she came to Konoha for a mission or a visit, but Ino hadn't been properly introduced to the man since they had both graduated from their second round of Chuunin exams, almost six years prior - so the blonde kunoichi settled on the barbeque restaurant from her days on a Genin team. It had a comfortable atmosphere and a decent selection of food, and (most importantly) Chouji and the rest of the boys would definitely show up.

"Though sometimes it _is_ fun to track them down," Ino mused to herself from her seat at the head of the table - the perfect spot to be able to see and hear everyone else.

"Track who down?"

Internally Ino jumped, having lost herself to her thoughts of dragging Shikamaru down the street by an ear as the shadow-user yelled and complained at her. Externally she blinked once and slowly turned to face the voice who had spoken - Hinata, the only other person present. _Jeez Ino. Way to be alert. _"Just thinking about beating the boys into submission. You know how men are..."

Hinata rolled her pearl eyes with a sigh, then turned back to her menu to pick out what she wanted to drink before the rest of the guests arrived - Ino knew better. The blonde knew that Hinata was using the menu and that subtle shift-of-the-eyes in an attempt to divert a watcher's attention away from the soft blush blossoming on her cheeks. That she sighed in hopes that the extra oxygen would help cool her cheeks, or at least make the red hue appear to be more out of annoyance or anger than the embarrassment that the Hyuuga woman was known for. Common kunoichi tactics.

And Ino had been the one who taught Hinata all of them.

Ino huffed, her lips forming a perfect pout - she saw Neji and Lee enter the restaurant from her peripheral vision, and jumped upon her last chance to tease the woman in private. "No need to be embarrassed, Hinata-chan; or is that how you seduced the baby-daddy?"

The bright red flush covered Hinata's face just in time for her cousin to sit across from her. Ino snickered behind a hand as Neji looked at both of the women curiously. "Do I want to know what you said to her?"

"No." Both of the women said in unison. It was Neji's turn to roll his eyes as Hinata turned her glare at Ino.

Ino just shrugged, then perked up a bit as more people started to stream through the front doors. Standing up from her seat she waved at the group of new comers, giving out loud directions of _'over here!' _as she glanced at Hinata from the corner of her eye. The Hyuuga woman had calmed back down, though she had placed a hand discretely on her abdomen, under the table where curious eyes couldn't see.

Ino fought back a sigh. _They're all going to figure it out sooner or later. Are you ready for this?_

* * *

><p>The table was almost full when they finally arrived; Kankuro spied two free seats, and both of them were closer to Yamanaka Ino than he would've liked. "Cheer up," Shikamaru told him. The shadow-user offered no other words of condolence, just went and sat himself next to Chouji. <em>That sounded a bit more like a threat than encouragement,<em> Kankuro thought with a sigh.

Somehow he managed to drag himself to the last seat, then plastered a smile on his face as he turned to look at the blond sitting at the head of the table. "Thanks for the party, Ino-chan! You didn't need to go through all the trouble." _You really, really didn't._

"It's no trouble!" Ino chirped pleasantly, waving off his compliment as if it were nothing. "I like any excuse to drag the ol' gang back together!" A murmur of agreement passed over everyone's lips, but a quick look from the blond sent everyone back into their happy conversations.

Kankuro chuckled under his breath and looked around the table to see everyone who had shown up to his 'party'. He couldn't help but notice that, while everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with their friends and comrades, every once in awhile someone would shoot Ino an incredulous look. _It's as if they're mainly here to please her, instead of having a good time. Like actors._

The puppeteer stopped his thoughts for a brief moment. _Like actors... that's what that Redhead said. _

He imagined that the party was more like an elaborate play, with Ino as both the director and prima-donna. She was in every conversation, calling across the table to ask TenTen how her training was going or making a lewd jab at Kiba, who sat beside her. The blond regularily cooed compliments and complaints both towards Sakura, the pink-haired medic that had saved Kankuro's life (he gave her a smile and a nod when their eyes met, and they both rolled their eyes at suggestive innuendo that immediately rolled off of Ino's tongue), and seemed to be yelling something or another towards her old teammates every other sentence.

"Boys are useless," the blond droned with a huff, dropping her head into her palm as she blew her bangs out of her face dramatically. Kankuro made the mistake of snorting at the sight of her, and the woman's pale blue eyes snapped open to glare at the puppeteer.

It was then that single person sitting between Kankuro and the blond inferno spoke up for the first time since the puppeteer had arrived. "You don't need boys, Ino-chan. Don't you always say how you want to find a man?"

Conversation stopped for a moment as everyone turned to look at the person sitting to Kankuro's right. Unable to resist, Kankuro twisted himself in his seat to get a proper look at the person who had, single handed, caught everyone's attention, and had to tighten his jaw to stop it from dropping open.

Hyuuga Hinata sat there, red as a tomato with her eyes glued to her plate.

Kankuro laughed again, and leaned on his elbows as he looked past the dark haired woman to give Ino a lecherous wink. "Guess that means you need me, ja?"

Ino smiled at him sweetly, pulling herself back into a proper posture as she gestured to the rest of the table. "Ask anyone here, Kankuro-kun. I don't sleep with anyone who wears more make-up than me."

"Guess you and TenTen get along just fine," he shot back easily. He immediately regretted it as the table erupted in laughter and threats and glares from all sides.

Kankuro laughed again, settling back in his chair as tempers cooled off and dirty looks were cast left, right and centre. He spared a look at the petite woman sitting next to him, her figure dwarfed by her baggy jacket.

As luck would have it, she looked up at him at the same time. His black eyes met her white gaze, and she smiled and mouthed a small 'thank you'. He nodded back to her, then went back to his people watching.


	5. The Clinic

**The Clinic**

The last month had been the longest of her life. The nervousness of the days following the festival had been soothed by a strained sort of excitement in the weeks after. Every passing day seemed to solidly prove that her plot was working, that a little baby boy or girl was starting to grow in her belly. The first sign had been telltale and expected - she was late. More than late. Hinata was pretty positive that her period hadn't come at all.

"You okay Hinata?" Kiba asked from his seat next to her. The Hyuuga woman tensed slightly, then took a deep breath as she turned to give her teammate a smile - even after becoming Chuunin, after getting Genin students and after going on solo-S ranked missions, Team 8 stayed together to become Konoha's best tracking unit. Even Kakashi, who was only supposed to temporarily take over while Kurenai was nursing Asa, stuck around - because of this they had reached an infamous status within the 5 Ninja Countries.

Hinata looked over her teammates - all four of them were sitting in the hospital, waiting for their post-mission check up required after any job ranked C or higher. Shino and Kiba were both looking at her, a subtle worry weighing down their shoulders. Even Kakashi managed to look concerned as he read his volume of Icha Icha Tactics, albeit at a slower pace than normal.

"I'm fine," she smiled at them all, resisting the urge to feel the still-flat expanse of her abdomen. _Will they be able to tell me for sure? Is it still too early? _"I'm just wondering how Ino-chan will react to seeing us all again so soon."

"Hai, the mission went pretty fast this time," Kiba boasted with a grin.

"No thanks to you insisting that Akamaru needed to talk to those she-dogs," Shino drawled out. Kiba's hackles rose as he turned towards the Aburame heir, and within moments the two of them were arguing. Hinata giggled, then saw Sakura enter the waiting room wearing her scrubs and carrying a clipboard that undoubtedly had their mission report and medical stats on it. The Hyuuga woman stood up and crossed the room to meet her.

Sakura gave Kakashi a wave as she lead Hinata into one of the clinic rooms, closing the door behind them with a soft click. "How are you today, Hinata-chan?" The pinkette asked, busying herself with pulling on a pair of latex gloves as Hinata shrugged off her jacket and sat down on the small cot against the wall.

"I feel no different than normal," Hinata said aimlessly, her thoughts drifting back to her missing period. She didn't stop herself from resting her hands on her belly this time; Sakura had turned away to glance at the mission report one last time as she put the clipboard down on the counter. _Probably checking to see what sort of tests she should perform. _

If the medic-nin thought that there was anything off with Hinata's statement, she didn't comment as she turned back around with a bright smile. Pulling chakra into her hands, Sakura did a few quick tests that Hinata recognized from past visits: she checked for basic poisons, damage to main the chakra points, and any noticeable cuts or bruises. The pinkette preformed her job with a skill and efficiency befitting the Hokage's apprentice, then took a step back to give Hinata another smile.

"All done! Would you mind sending Kakash-"

"I think I'm pregnant."

Sakura froze, the smile slowly dropping from her face as she stared at Hinata in shock. The Hyuuga woman fidgeted, pulling on the hem of her shirt as she tried to fight the blush blossoming on her cheeks. The pinkette blinked a couple of times, then shook her head as if she were trying to viciously rearrange the thoughts within her skull. "I'm sorry, I think I misheard you... did you say-"

"I think I'm pregnant," Hinata repeated herself evenly. She took a long, slow breath as she steeled her spine.

Sakura frowned, a crease marking her forehead as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back against the counter. "When was your last period?"

"About 6 weeks ago, maybe six and a half," Hinata replied. Her fingers twitched as nervousness creeped up on her.

"You were just on a mission," Sakura pointed out, one hand trailing through the air to highlight her point. "Extra stress and physical activity can make your period lighter, or even non-existant."

"Iie," the Hyuuga woman shook her head, then looked down at the ground. She took another deep breath, and could feel the colour still rising in her cheeks. "I slept with someone at the Festival. That was four weeks ago. The timing is right."

She could feel the intense weight of Sakura's stare, and idly wondered what the medic-nin was thinking. _Probably trying to figure out who I slept with. _"Did you use any contraceptives?" Sakura's professional choice of words weren't enough to hide the curiosity in her voice, but the pinkette had more tact than to ask outright. Hinata shook her head to the question. "Did you take the morning after pill, or have a medic do a cleansing jutsu?"

Another deep breath. Hinata tried to look up, but couldn't summon up the will as her blush crept up her ears and down her neck. "Ino did a fertility jutsu the next day."

There was a stunned silence. After what felt like half of an eternity, Hinata chanced a nervous glance upwards to see a completely flabbergasted Sakura standing with her mouth wide open. When the Hyuuga woman's pale eyes met the medic's green ones, Sakura snapped back into reality and stepped forwards. She pulled a stethoscope out of one of the pockets of her scrubs, putting the instrument into her ears as Hinata wordlessly pulled up the front of her shirt - Sakura placed the bell of the stethoscope low on Hinata's abdomen, and both women tensed as they strained to hear something in the silence.

"It's still a little early to hear a heartbeat," Sakura mumbled, standing upright as she pulled the stethoscope out of her ears. She let the device cling to her neck as she pulled a small amount of chakra into her palms to internally probe Hinata's stomach. "There's a small mass... but it could just be a spot of indigestion. You said Ino did the jutsu?"

"Hai," Hinata nodded. Sakura frowned again, moving back to the counter to shuffle in the drawers there. Ino had her own sort of reputation within the medical field - while she wasn't nearly as reknown as Sakura, the blond kunoichi had mastered all sorts of jutsus related to avoiding pregnancy, as a precaution to the high-risk missions she often took. But she had also learned all sorts of fertility and prenatal jutsus along the way, and most woman in the village (kunoichi and civilian alike) requested the blond personally to help them when they were trying to conceive. It was an interesting line of work, and Hinata knew that the Hokage was trying to convince Ino to take up a full time position at the hospital as an obstetrician; but the blond took too much pride in her ninja work to do more than the occasional consultation.

"Here," the pinkette turned back to her, holding a small box out for the Hyuuga woman to take. Hinata reached for it wordlessly, and wasn't surprised to see that it was a pregnancy test. "Try that. If it's positive, come back for your first appointment in two weeks." She didn't say what to do if it was negative.

"Arigatou, Sakura-chan." Hinata stood up from her seat on the cot, pulling her jacket back on and stuffing the pregnancy test deep into her pocket.

"Hai, hai," Sakura waved off the thanks, a distracted look on her face as she sighed. "Please send Kakashi in next."

Hinata nodded, then left the room.

* * *

><p>He had had one week of blessed silence when he arrived home: Gaara was busy with the village council, the puppet corps were all out on missions, and Temari was too preoccupied with her training to notice anything was wrong with her younger brother. Kankuro spent used this time to start designing a simple set of puppets that could be used in a puppet theatre like the one he had seen in Konoha with the Redhead. That all came to an end when one evening, one of the few that all three siblings could manage to sit down together for dinner, Temari got a letter from Konoha.<p>

Kankuro wasn't sure he'd ever be able to forget the look on his sister's face.

_I'll have to kill Nara one of these days... _Kankuro sighed - he had managed to avoid both of his siblings yet again today. Gaara wasn't too bad, after an amused smirk and an off comment he had dropped the ordeal entirely, but his youngest sibling wasn't able to lie to Temari about Kankuro's whereabouts. And that made spending time with the Kazekage impossible.

Kankuro peered around a corner before he dared to walk down the hallway. He was trying to make it all the way to his room incident-free, back to where his puppet designs were waiting for him and Temari wouldn't be able to get past the locks. _If only that lazy-idiot had kept his stupid mouth shut..._

What the puppeteer truly didn't understand was why Shikamaru had sent a message of concern to his sister, instead of to him - sure, the shadow-user wanted to know if he was alright, if he was _ suffering_ at all since he hadn't found the girl that had been plaguing his thoughts. _But did he have to ask my sister to check up on me? Do I need to go through this torture? _Apparently he did, and every day for the past week and a half his sister had pestered him about this girl that had apparently charmed her younger brother.

He came to another corner and slowed down to peer down into the depths of another hallway, before hurrying across the intersection. Kankuro tried not to let the unnatural quiet of the late-afternoon get to him by telling himself that everyone was too busy with training, or were locked away inside their offices and rooms. _It is pretty damn hot out today. I wouldn't even of gone out if the puppet corps hadn't had a meeting. _Thinking about his meeting from that morning brought a grin to Kankuro's face, and the puppeteer hurried to make it back to his room before-

"Kankuro!" His sister's voice made his blood freeze and his pace quicken, but a masterfully-executed wind jutsu knocked him off of his feet.

Kankuro managed to get his arms out in front of himself in time to stop his face from smashing into the floor, but his wrist still hurt when he put pressure on it. Sitting up slowly, he glared at Temari as she walked up to him. "That was unnecessary."

"That was completely necessary," she glared at him as released the summoning jutsu on her fan - it turned back into a scroll which she tucked into a pouch on her belt. "You have been avoiding me all week!"

"Because you've been a pest all week!" He yelled at her as he stood up - at his full height he towered over his older sister, but she just hmphfed at him and crossed her arms.

"I have not," she replied, jutting out her chin as she looked away from her angry brother.

Kankuro growled in frustration. "Every day you bang on my door asking me 'Who was she Kankuro?' 'Why haven't you said anything about her Kankuro?' 'Are you going to bring her home, Kankuro?' and it doesn't matter what the fuck I say back to you, you don't stop!"

"Is it a crime to be curious?" She looked at him again, her eyes narrowed in a glare.

"This is beyond curious!" He threw his hands up as his rage exploded. "I've given you all the answers I have! I don't know who she was! I didn't say anything because I'm trying to forget her! And I can't bring her home because I don't even know who she is! So just drop it!"

His sister pouted, sighed, then stepped past him. "Fine. I'll find something else to tease you about."

Kankuro deflated as he slowly turned to watch his sister non-chalantly walk down the hallway, as if he hadn't just yelled at her at the top of his lungs. Three large steps brought him side-by-side with her and he matched his pace. "That's it? You're just giving up?"

"It has been a month," she pointed out. "And as much as it has been amusing to tease you about a girl who left you high and dry, rather than the other way around for once, it's kind of lonely not having you at dinner. Gaara is usually too busy with the council and paperwork and stuff." Kankuro nodded in agreement - keeping himself holed up in his room had been lonely as well, not to mention how hungry he had been. He didn't keep food in his room for fear of it contaminating his poisons. "Besides... if I keep teasing you about this mystery girl, it'll keep you from turning your next possible-conquest into a potential-girlfriend. And Kami-only-knows how much we all want you to finally settle down with someone."

He fought a groan. "I'm too busy for a girlfriend - I might be getting a promotion at the corps."

"Oh?" Temari perked up, sparing her brother a smile.

"Yeah," Kankuro's grin was back. "Nothing official yet, but I made an awesome proposal to help rope in recruits and everyone was pretty enthusiastic about it. And everyone already knows how good of a kugutsu-user I am-"

"Modest as always," Temari sighed again, but her smile brightened. "That's my little brother! Add a nice dose of ego to the situation and your sure you get what you want!"

"Temari~" Kankuro whined, playfully shoving her shoulder. She only laughed, then quieted down to finish listening to her brother talk excitedly about the proposal he had put in front of the puppet corps.

* * *

><p>No one was home when she arrived at Kurenai's house. Kiba and Shino had both left her to train, Kakashi disappeared with some half-hearted lie about helping a pretty lady with her groceries, and Asa was probably at daycare leaving the day free for everyone else to do what they would like. For Hinata that meant a bit of desperately needed privacy, despite her promise to see Ino at the flower shop as soon as she got back or her normal routine of checking in with her father at the Hyuuga compound.<p>

Toeing off her sandals, Hinata hurried down the hallway and ducked almost tripped over her own feet as she ducked into the bathroom. She took a long, calming breath as she closed the door behind her - a self-conscious sort of courtesy, in case anyone came home while she was busy. Then she pulled the pregnancy test out of her pocket and stared at the box.

She read over the instructions several times, her hands gently shaking as she leaned against the bathroom door heavily. Then she opened the package, letting the contents fall onto the bathroom counter - she left the applicator in its place and picked up the folded pamphlet to read. Finally she sunk to the floor, trying to push the inevitable to the back of her mind as she read over every word in front.


	6. The News

**The News**

Ino stared at the door in front of her with a latent form of hatred. Her hands and arms were occupied carrying an unseemly amount of bags (groceries for dinner, a new outfit for Asa, face masks for the girls and a book entitled "Understanding the Female Mind" she thought all the boys should read), else she would've simply opened the door for herself. As it was she sighed, prayed that she was having a good luck day, and kicked the offensive barrier.

After a minute or two without an answer, she kicked the door again. Then again and again, until almost five minutes later an irate Shikamaru pulled the door open with a glare.

"Took you long enough," Ino huffed, pushing past him. She didn't bother taking off her shoes as she marched to the kitchen - the clasps would've been impossible to figure out in the state she was in.

"We're all a little preoccupied," Shikamaru followed her after he shut and locked the door - he didn't say anything about Ino's lack of etiquette. Nor did he offer to help her with the bags.

"Oh?" The blond nodded at Kiba. She managed not to react strangely to seeing him sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the bathroom. "What's going on?" Shikamaru snorted, a subtle sign of annoyance she had learned to read when they were still children. She shrugged off his non-answer and entered the kitchen, smiling pleasantly at Kurenai and Chouji who both sat at the table with little Asa. She even managed a pleasant nod towards Shino, even though the older man still creeped her out. It was seeing Kakashi that made her pause. "What are you doing here, Kakashi-san?"

The jounin shrugged, not moving from his place against the counter top, and turned to the next page in his book.

Ino bristled, then decided to ignore the man's presence. _After all_ _the _countless_ times we've invited him over here, for helping us avenge Asuma and for being team 11's new leader, why is he here _now_? _Instead she moved to put away the groceries she had bought for that night's dinner - it was Ino's turn to cook, and she was craving Miso.

"Ino-chan," Kurenai's soft voice broke into the blond's thoughts, and Ino turned to give the kindly woman a smile. She loved Kurenai like a mother, and having the woman around helped to fill in the void that her sensei had left behind when he died. "Do you know if anything is... troubling Hinata?"

Ino didn't miss the anxious sound in Kurenai's voice, and squashed the little pang of jealousy it created; Hinata was Kurenai's precious lamb, forever a child in the woman's eyes. The two of them had been closer than family in the days when Ino and the rest were still just genins. There was a bond between them that no one, not even Asa, could get between and as much as Ino envied it at times, she knew that it didn't mean that Kurenai didn't love her as well. Just not as much as she loved Hinata.

"How so?" Ino asked, her mind jumping to the obvious conclusion. _Seems like my fertility jutsu worked again._

"She's locked herself in the bathroom and refuses to leave," Chouji piped up. Half the room sent him a dark look, to which he raised his hands up guiltily with a sign. "What? It's true."

Ino smiled, and suppressed the urge to giggle. "Did you try asking..?" She let it hang out in the open what they should be asking about. _One of them will fill in the blank._

"She said she feels fine," Shino answered.

"Is that all she said?"

The room went quiet, with the occasional _swish_ of a page being turned. Ino took a moment to stare at everyone in succession: Shikamaru stood by the door, arms crossed over his chest as he stared up at the ceiling in boredom; Kurenai was watching Ino intently, worry written in every line on her face; Asa was keeping Chouji preoccupied, giggling at the man as he poked her little cheeks and tickled her sides; Shino seemed tense, though it was hard to tell with the tall collar of his jacket and his sunglasses hiding his expression; Kakashi just turned another page of his book.

Ino sighed. "Alright, I'll go see what's wrong." The atmosphere in the room instantly brightened as she moved towards the exit, leaving her bags on the counter to deal with later. Everyone followed at a distance, watching as Ino walked down the hallway to where Kiba was still seated in front of the bathroom door; she ignored him and banged on the wooden surface with a fist. "Hinata! I'm giving you ten seconds before I break in!"

She could almost feel everyone winch behind her, and heard the beginnings of Kiba rambling about Hinata's personal space and having respect... then the door cracked open and one large, pale eye became visible. "I-Ino-chan..?"

Ino pushed the door open viciously, causing Hinata to jump back with an adorable squeal. She marched past the Hyuuga woman and looked around the small bathroom - finding what she was looking for placed neatly beside the sink, Ino snatched up the small object and marched back out into the hallway and started to head back towards the kitchen.

"W-wait!" Hinata called after her, hurrying to catch up with the blond. Ino executed a perfectly timed double-step and arrived back in the kitchen just as Hinata tried to grab the blond's shoulder to yank her to a stop - the resulting motion caused Hinata to misstep and lose her balance for half a moment, still in the halllway.

Ino waited for Hinata to finish catching up, Kiba not too far behind her, before she tossed the object from the bathroom onto the kitchen counter. "I think that's what's causing all this commotion. Now, who wants Miso for dinner?"

* * *

><p>Hinata made a mad grab for the pregnancy test that Ino had tossed onto the counter top, but it was too late. Kakashi picked it up faster than a person could blink, and peered at it curiously for a few moments before lifting his one visible eye to stare at her with a mix of mild shock and amusement. The Hyuuga woman could feel her cheeks turning beet red, and glared at Ino as she tried to compose herself.<p>

The blond in question was pulling the rest of her shopping expedition out of the bags that they were in, leaving the kitchen counter littered with baby clothes and make up products, with a book randomly shoved into the pile. Ino didn't seem the least bit effected by the sudden chase-down-the-hallway, and rather cheerfully moved to take out the pot and utensils she would need to cook that night's dinner. She picked out a rather large pot, enough to cook for everyone. _Does this mean that I have to deal with everyone? Right now?_

"It's positive," Kakashi said out loud, snapping his book shut to focus his full attention on Hinata. She stood rigidly, uncomfortably aware of everyone's attention on herself.

"What's positive?" Kiba questioned, stepping farther into the already-crowded kitchen. He looked at the object in Kakashi's hand curiously, his nose scrunched up as he undoubtedly identified the scent of urine.

Hinata glanced around the room quickly to gauge everyone's reaction - Kurenai was outright staring at her, her red eyes wide and her mouth parted in an astonished 'oh'. Shino started at her, confusion weighing on his features, and Chouji took turns looking between Hinata, Ino, and Kakashi. Kiba was frowning, staring at the white-haired jounin as he tried to figure out what was going on - Shikamaru just stared up at the ceiling, a look on boredom etched on his face.

She took a deep breathe, turning to look back at Kakashi's single eye - it was easier than looking at everyone else. "I'm pregnant."

There was a moment of stunned silence, then Kiba laughed. Hinata turned to look at her teammate, and noticed everyone else giving him a look as well - even Shikamaru managed to glance down from whatever it was that had fixated his attention. Only for a moment though, then his boredom returned. "Good one, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata frowned, the expression looking more like a childish pout on her face, and crossed her arms in front of her. "I really am pregnant."

"Alright then, lets meet the father," Kiba laughed again, the gruff sound coming out in barks as he clutched at a stitch in his side.

"I. Am. Pregnant." Hinata repeated again, feeling her anger rise to a simmering boil.

Kiba didn't seem to notice. "Right. Just like you were kicked out of your clan forever. And just like you were in love with Naruto." He stopped to let out a smug sneer, his lips pulling back to show his eye teeth. "Have you asked for a doctor's opinion? Those store-bought tests give out false-negatives all the time. In fact-"

Kiba shut up as a shadow clamped over his mouth. The canine-lover scratched at his face, trying to rip the shadow away - he only resulted in tearing at his own skin.

"Thank you Shikamaru," Ino's voice soothed from over Hinata's shoulder. The other woman stepped up behind the Hinata, placing one of her pale hands on Hinata's shoulder. The colour drained from Kiba's face - Hinata glared at him, but knew that it was whatever cold look Ino was shooting at him from over her shoulder that had the Inuzuka heir panicked. "Hinata-chan is pregnant. I know it. She knows it. I'm sure at least one medic found out about it during your post-mission check up, otherwise she wouldn't have a hospital-issued pregnancy test. Now get over yourself and congratulate her on becoming a mother."

To say that no one was stunned was a lie. But suddenly the room was filled with joy as Kurenai stood up to embrace her favourite student, and Shino stepped forward to offer his support and pat her on the shoulder. Kakashi even offered her a pleasant smile from beneath his mask, and Chouji just grinned as he tried to explain an excited Asa that a new baby was coming.

Everyone sobered up when the shadow-jutsu was finally released, and Kiba glared at their carefree attitude. "Alright. Fine. Hinata is pregnant. Where's the father?"

Hinata couldn't meet Kiba's eye. She knew how he felt about family - the canine-lover was fiercely loyal. Even when he was complaining about his sister anyone could see the love he had for her, and it was the thought of going home to a hot meal and familiar laughter that kept him going through every mission. "I don't know."

"Don't tell me it was that guy from the festival," Kiba growled. Hinata shifted her eyes away nervously, picking a place on the wall just over top of Kiba's right shoulder. The man sighed, his shoulder's slumping as he shook his head. Then a new topic found it's way to his tongue, and he looked up at her again. "How are you going to tell your father that you're pregnant? Out of wedlock? And that you don't know who the father is?"

Hinata tensed for a moment, but forced herself to look Kiba in the eye. _He deserves this answer. They all deserve an answer - they're my family. _"I'm going to tell him plainly - that I wanted a child, so I went and had one." The sudden admission shocked the entire room, but Hinata continued before anyone could answer. "And we're going to argue. He'll want me to abort the baby, insisting that an unwed mother will bring shame to the house. But I'm going to have the baby in secret. At another village - any other village, it doesn't matter. I'll concede to let the child be raised as a branch house member, so long as he doesn't get a curse seal. And I'll concede that the child won't know that I'm the mother, so long as everyone present here is allowed to help raise him."

Then Hinata looked away, trying to steel herself in her decision. She looked at Asa instead, and tried to imagine the little girl playing with a Hyuuga child, tried to imagine them being friends and growing up together. The thought brought happiness to her heart, and that was enough.


	7. The Scroll

**The Scroll**

The atmosphere was stifling. The innocent bystanders (Kurenai and Ino who had both insisted upon coming, and Neji who had happened to already be there) dared not to breathe too loudly in case the cold, pale gazes that were being shared between father and daughter would turn on them. The conversation was at a stalemate, and neither party looked willing to budge.

Hyuuga Hiashi's fought from allowing his frown to deepen.

_What is this child thinking? _He mused to himself, looking over the determined stance of his older daughter. He had thrown every proper suggestion and course of action out there - which, really, boiled down to one. Abort the bastard child in secrecy and pray that no one would find out and bring shame to the family.

The tension in the room raised noticeably when Hiashi finally looked away from Hinata to observe the individuals who stood behind his daughter. Neji was still trying to school the shock off of his face; hearing that his meek cousin was sexually active had been hard enough for the boy, but that she was pregnant as well? _He's probably the only one who can fully relate to what I feel right now. _The two other women, Kurenai and Ino, both stared hard and unflinching at Hiashi. It was if they were daring him to defy his daughter's wishes.

He sighed, and looked back at Hinata.

Her hands were clenched in front of her to stop them from trembling, and she had her jaw clenched to stop herself from stuttering in the continued silence. Her face was devoid of emotion, though he could see worry in her eyes. All things considered, he would have been proud of her political skills. Would have been, if she wasn't negotiating about keeping a bastard child.

He closed his eyes and used a hand to massage his temples, a vain attempt to rid himself of the headache that was forming. _Curse the new ways. Who knew that a woman having rights over her own body would cause such drama._

"Can't you just find the father?" He strangled out, a last ditch effort to swing the tide of the conversation in his favour.

Even without looking he could sense the tension alleviate from the room. _They all know what the outcome is going to be. _"Iie," his daughter's voice rang in his ears, sweet and happy. "He was a stranger. Someone just here for the festival. I doubt I'll ever see him again."

"I could put in a mission request." He offered, still not opening his eyes to look at Hinata.

"You can if you'd like, but I have no desire to marry."

Hiashi snorted, then snapped open a glare at his daughter. She immediately tensed, the smile that had been on her lips melting into a look of fright. "Don't pretend to be ignorant. I have no right to force you to abort the child, that I understand. But as my daughter and my heir, I can force you to marry."

"I-iie," she stuttered out, her knuckles turning white as she struggled for composure. "If you put in a mission request, then my... _state, _will become public knowledge."

He tried not to be impressed with his daughter's quick thinking. _Her growing prowess as a heiress is not the issue. _"True. But a small mar, such as this, on the Hyuuga name is nothing as compared to the marks of the past. Some would even see it as a responsible course of action - finding the father so that the child can be raised in a proper family environment."

It was Neji that snorted, drawing everyone's immediate attention. "The Hyuuga Elders won't see it that way."

It took a moment for Neji to realize that his uncle's cold gaze had landed upon him, but when he did his expression instantly turned neutral as he adverted his eyes respectfully to the floor. There was a prolonged silence as the young man endured everyone's looks, but for Hiashi it was all in vain. The damage had been done.

"Hai," Hinata spoke slowly, tearing her eyes off of her cousin to look back up at her father. "Neji-nii is correct. The Elder's won't approve, and will demand that you disown me."

"And what should stop me from doing just that?" Hiashi threatened. _Again,_ he added mentally.

"And be seen as the fool who disinherited his eldest, twice?" She had the gall to laugh, though the heavy tone sounded false to Hiashi's ears. _Probably another trick she learned from that Yamanaka girl,_ he thought idly, casting the blond women a quick glance.

The discussion returned to a stalemate when Hiashi's eyes landed back on his daughter. Deep down he knew that whatever argument that he brought up, she would find a counter-point. _And if she doesn't know what to say, one of her supporters, _he fought not to shoot a glare at Neji, whom most would assume would have sided with his uncle, _will undoubtedly supply her with the right words. _He studied Hinata's face once more, seeing the determination set on her features and the worry shining in her eyes. _Does it even matter what I say? If I do not consent, she will defy me. And if she defies me then I cannot control the situation._

He closed his eyes again, and once more attempted to massage the ache out of his temples. "Very well." There was a collective sigh of relief, and Hiashi had to suppress the urge to squash their reprieve. "You can have this child, and he will be given a seal and put into the branch house."

"Iie."

Hinata's immediate _"no"_ caught Hiashi's attention, and he opened his pale orbs once again to give her a questioning look. _And how exactly does she plan to worm her way out of this one? _"We can find a way for you to have a child in secret - I'll send out a mission request, either to ANBU or to one of our allied Villages. But how, exactly, do you presume to explain a child suddenly appearing in the main house, without a father or a mother..? There will be questions. The child will be in the branch house."

"I agree," Hinata nodded. "The child shall be in the branch house. But there will be no curse seal."

"It is tradition," Hiashi explained, starting up the time-aged lecture that every Hyuuga has heard repeatedly over the course of their lives. "It is to prote-"

"I know why the curse seal is there," Hinata interrupted. Hiashi closed his mouth calmly, raising a brow at his daughter's uncharacteristic actions. "But when I become Clan Leader I plan on abolishing that ridiculous tradition. I think you can agree," she paused a moment, giving Hiashi a pointed look. He assumed that she was referencing his late brother - everyone made a point in referencing Hizashi when trying to persuade Hiashi into doing something. "That tradition is morally wrong. As human beings we have no right to place our life above the lives of other, especially family. By perpetuating this ritual, we are only hindering our own kin from their true potential." She paused again, turning minutely to look at her cousin; he was still staring at the floor, though Hiashi did not doubt that the young man still saw Hinata's look. "Neji is a perfect example. He is already stronger than I will ever be, and I am your heir. Think about how much stronger he might have been, had he not been sealed when he was a child."

She turned her eyes onto Hiashi again. The accusation was clear on her face - it was _him _who had sealed Neji. _But at the order of the Hyuuga Elders,_ Hiashi thought to himself, letting the room stew in silence. _He is my brother's son. My twin's son. I never would have had him sealed on my own accord. Tradition begs to be followed. _He studied Neji out of his peripheral, and tried to imagine how the man would've grown up had he been allowed to be a part of the main house.

"Very well," Hiashi nodded. Hinata's mouth opened immediately, though whatever she was going to say stayed stuck in her throat. Hiashi held back a chuckle at the surprise that etched itself into her features. "I will support your decision. While you are away I will find a way to broach the topic with the Elders - I'm sure the Hokage will agree with you, and her support will be vital."

Hinata blinked several times, her mind slowly processing her father's words. "... while I'm away?"

"Hai," Hiashi pulled open a drawer in his desk and found a blank scroll and a new quill. "Did you think that you would be having a child here in Konoha? While still keeping it a secret?" She shook her head. "Good. At least I know you're not a complete idiot." Everyone moved to comment, but Hiashi waved off their complaints as he reached for his ink pot. "And yes, what you are doing is idiotic. But it is your choice, and you've given me no option but to support you. Now leave me, and go inform the Hokage of your... _situation_. I'll have a formal mission request drafted and written by tonight, but it would be better for her to hear about it in person first."

"Hai, Otousan," Hinata bowed politely. The rest followed her lead, bowing low before filing out of the room one by one. Hinata was the last to leave, and she smiled sadly at him as she stepped out into the hall. "Arigatou."

* * *

><p>The midnight oils were all but extinguished by the time that Hiashi had finally finished writing out the mission request. He sat back as his sharp eyes poured over the document, looking for any smudges or mistakes that would seem uncouth coming from a Hyuuga document. Satisfied at finding none, he carefully place the scroll to the side to allow the ink to dry. Then he pulled out a blank piece of parchment and began to pen a letter.<p>

_Hokage-sama,_

_I apologize about the late hour you will receive this. I will personally come and discuss the current situation with you at a more acceptable hour, at your earliest convenience. Nonetheless, I want to stress the importance of discretion concerning the matter at hand. Hinata's situation is delicate, and despite her not wanting to follow my suggested course of action I will try to support her. That means keeping this as much of a secret as possible, even from the rest of her Clan._

_As she is aspiring to become the Clan leader, it is important that neither the village council or the Hyuuga Elders find out what is going on. A hard task, considering her group of friends already know - but the shinobi that Hinata associates with are of a caliber that secrecy should not be an issue, so I believe that they will be able to keep themselves from spreading rumours. Younger shinobi, however, are not. Even simple genin are allowed to read over an S-Classed mission request summary - albeit, one would be hard-pressed to find a genin that would take the time to read over classified mission summaries instead of working on their own training or claiming their own missions, the possibility is still there. And others, the village council, aspiring ANBU, etc, do pour over new missions._

_I humbly ask that the accompanying mission request does not meet the eyes of any Konoha shinobi. Considering the sensitive situation, I think it would be for the best if the mission is sent out to another village. I will pay for the costs from the Hyuuga finances, so it will not monetarily effect Konoha at all. It will, however, cause Hinata to be away for an extended period of time._

_I would also request that you find a plausible reason for Hinata to be out of the village. Anything will do - a delegatory mission, training she cannot receive here in Konoha. Any reason will do. Questions will undoubtably arise anyways, but a valid reason for Hinata's absence will go a long way to helping quell unwanted rumours and keep her respectable standing intact. Roughly two years should be enough._

_I trust in your guidance,_

_Hyuuga Hiashi._

Hiashi put his quill down again, and reread the letter. Several times he cross out small sections and rewrote in better phrases or words, and when he was done it set it aside to dry as well. He didn't bother penning a better copy - it would be for the Hokage's eyes only, and he knew that she wouldn't care about a couple of crossed out words._ Chances are that she'll burn it when she's done reading it, _he mused, reaching for the mission scroll to see if it was dry.

It took a couple of minutes for the ink in his letter to dry, but when it did he sealed both the letter and the scroll with wax and summoned a servant. A branch member entered his study silently, and Hiashi handed the papers over with instructions to deliver them to the Hokage immediately.

Once the servant left Hiashi stood, and moved to look out of the window in his study. He activated his byakugan, as was his routine before going to bed, and carefully checked over the entire Hyuuga compound. He started at the farthest end, where a couple of Branch members and their teammates were doing some late night training, and slowly made his way through the little houses that littered the Hyuuga estate. Most of his Clan members were asleep, though once Hiashi had to avert his all-seeing-eyes when he accidentally glimpsed into a rather intimate moment between a young clanswoman and her suitor.

As he looked closer towards the main house, he looked into the little cottage that had been built just for Neji - it was the closest Branch house to the main estate, just a twenty minute walk from the back doors. His nephew was still awake, reading a book in bed. Hiashi sighed and tried not to think of his brother, then to the Main House.

The servant he had sent out was just leaving the front doors. Most of the other servants were asleep, though a couple roamed the halls with fresh towels for the morning baths and logs to add to the night fires. Hanabi was asleep on the floor in her room, having fallen out of bed again. _I'll have to put her back in bed, _Hiashi thought with a smile.

Finally he moved to Hinata's room, a sense of nervousness overcoming him. She was sitting on her bed, seemingly wide awake and unmoving - her being home was in and of itself unusual. She usually slept over at her old sensei's, preferring the lively company of her friends to the serious attitude of most Hyuuga.

She lifted her head as Hiashi studied her, and locked her own byakugan gaze onto his. Hiashi paused, staring back at his daughter. _She was awake this entire time, watching me. _He smiled, noticing the nervous way she wrung her hands together as she studied him. _Has she been hoping to find out what I've been writing?_

__He took a step away from the window to turn to directly face his eldest daughter. Then, making sure he spoke the words clearly so that she wouldn't misread his lips, he said aloud "Oyasumi, Hinata-chan. Get some sleep."

A frown marred her face for a moment, then she smiled softly. He watched as she deactivated her Byakugan with a sigh, then turned out the lights to finally sleep.


	8. The Mission

**The Mission**

"Hinata," Neji's voice broke into her ravine - she was curled underneath the blankets in her room at the Hyuuga Estates. She hadn't been able to face her teammates properly since she had spoken to the Hokage the week prior; as supportive as they were all trying to be, no one but Ino truly knew her reasonings for wanting to have a child. "Hinata, you have to get out of bed."

She chewed on her lip nervously, but sat up to look at her cousin. Neji was standing by her open door, looking at her with concern thinly veiled behind his eyes.

"It's been a full week since we spoke to the Hokage," Neji informed her, as if she had forgotten the date. Hinata nodded, pulling her legs out from under the thick duvet and placing her feet onto the cold floor.

"What time is it?" She asked, shivering in the morning air.

"A little after 7," he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, watching as she moved across the room. He politely turned his back as she pulled clothes out of her closet to change into. "Remember what the Hokage said?"

"Hai," she nodded, even though Neji couldn't see with his back turned. "She said to see her again in about five days."

"And how long has it been since you spoke to her?"

"A full week," Hinata parroted back at him.

"Which means that your late."

"Stop acting like a scolding parent," she pulled on a long sleeved black shirt and matching slacks, then grabbed a hair brush to tidy up her hair. "I'm sure that the Hokage doesn't mind the extra couple of days."

"One does not simply keep the Hokage waiting," he reminded her.

"Is that what the early morning wake up call is for?" She asked, grabbing her jacket as she moved to leave her room. She pushed past Neji and opened the door, not pausing to wait for him to fall in place behind her. "Did Tsunada-dono send you to fetch me?"

"Well... no," Neji matched her pace easily, staying one step behind her as was considered respectful while inside the Hyuuga Estate. He didn't elaborate, but Hinata knew that he was waking her out of concern. She let the conversation lapse into silence as they traversed the lonely hallways of the Estate, both of them pretending not to notice the nervousness of the other. Hinata tried to hide the way her fingers fiddled with her jacket, and Neji keep his gaze strictly straight ahead. There were few people awake within the estate. Occasionally the two cousins saw servants going about their morning routines but they didn't encounter anyone of significance.

When Hinata and Neji approached the entranceway they noticed two long haired individuals quietly entering the household. (_Perhaps a__ Main House member,_ Hinata mused, _returning__ from early training?_) They took no notice at first, and it wasn't until the other Hyuuga was stepping up into the main foyer that Hinata recognized one of them to be her father. "Ohayoo gozaimasu, Otousama," Hinata greeted immediately, her mind still in a dreamy sort of daze as she pondered why her father would be returning home at that hour. _He __normally stays in his study after breakfast._

"Ohayoo Hinata, Neji," Hiashi nodded at both of them in greeting, then focused on his eldest daughter. "Are you meeting with the Godaime today?"

"Hai," Hinata responded as she found her shoes. The heiress sat to put them on, before noticing the other person who had entered the estate behind her father; a familiar young woman, about the same age as her, that boasted the same Hyuuga eyes as the rest of the clan. She had long black hair pulled into a messy knot on the side of her head and thick bangs covering her brow. "Ohayoo," Hinata smiled at her politely, and the other woman smiled back.

"Hinata-sama," the woman bowed. Hinata bit her tongue. _She must be part of the branch house - a main house member wouldn't bow to me._

"You remember Haruka-san," Hiashi told her rather than asked. Hinata managed to keep the smile on her face as she looked back up at her father. _I'm generally too busy with training and missions; when do I have time to meet with all of the branch members?_

"Hai, Otousama," Hinata just nodded, and finished putting her shoes on quickly. She muttered a goodbye to both Haruka and her father as the two of them moved farther into the estate, then looked at Neji as she stood up and exited the building.

At first Neji ignored her questioning stare as they walked side by side towards the main part of the village. After a few minutes though, once they were well out of grounds surrounding the Hyuuga Estate, Neji sighed and shook his head at Hinata. "One of these days you really need to learn the names of all of your cousins."

"I know the names of the Main Branch members," Hinata huffed cutely, crossing her arms in front of her. "But the Elder Council always said that most individuals of the Branch House weren't _important enough _to know. I grew up staying locked in my room or being rescued from kidnappers."

"Well then you should probably remember Haruka," Neji replied calmly.

Hinata rolled her eyes when her cousin didn't elaborate. "Why? Where would I know Haruka-san from?"

Neji slowed for a moment, turning his head to look at her directly. There was a tense couple of seconds where Hinata could see her cousin contemplate his choice of words, then he looked forward again and answered her as naturally as if she had asked him what he had for dinner the night before. "She's your double. Your replacement. The one who would be given in your place if the sake of the Byakugan were in question. Just like my father was for Hiashi-sama."

He sped up slightly, or maybe Hinata slowed as she contemplated Neji's words. She looked back towards the Hyuuga Estates, her mind puzzling out the possibilities. Thinking about Haruka again, Hinata could imagine their similarities; she supposed if the woman wore her hair down the two of them could be mistaken for one another, if the observer didn't know either of them closely. But w_hy would Father need to meet with my double?_

* * *

><p>Meeting with the Hokage had been quicker than either Neji or Hinata would have thought. The older woman briefed them both on the course of action that Hiashi had proposed, spent a couple of moments staring at Hinata while the Hyuuga woman squirmed, then dismissed both of them so that Hinata could go to the hospital for a check up. And that was how Neji found himself sitting awkwardly next to his younger cousin in a private hospital room.<p>

Neither of them spoke as they waited for a medical nin to come see them - Hinata had been admitted with no questions, a nurse taking them both to a secluded room deep within the network of hallways in the hospital. Neji knew that given an emergency he could find an exit in less than ten seconds, but that didn't stop the hairs raise on the back of his neck as a slight sense of panic tickled at the back of his mind. _There's nothing to worry about, _he reminded himself.

He never liked hospitals, especially not since his stay long stay in the emergency ward after the escape of Uchiha Sasuke.

His attention was perked by Hinata as she nervously pushed her fingers together, a habit she had never lost. Occasionally her fingernails would tap together, marking out an irregular rhythm in the silent room. Neji thought about starting a conversation, but a suitable topic seemed hopeless. Instead he meditated, trying to embrace a sense of calm as he thought about what the Hokage had told Hinata.

_Two years. She'll be gone for two years. _Neji closed his eyes, forcing himself to concentrate in darkness as he ignored the emotions that a prolonged separation with his cousin caused - They had grown closer over the years, and most of the time he felt rather protective of Hinata. _We'll tell everyone that she's going on a delagetory mission The child will be sent back first, as soon as he is capable of making the journey, and Hinata will follow at the end of the two years in the hope that the time interval will prevent any obvious questions. _The plan seemed sound in theory, but Neji knew that complications would arise. He opened his eyes to look at Hinata again, and watched as she chewed on her lower lip. _But will the time apart stop her from feeling whatever it is that mother's feel for their child? Will she be able to go through with this without scarring her own soul..?_

A philosophical answer escaped him as the door opened and the well known pinkette medic nin walked in. Sakura was staring at a clipboard, too engrossed to greet them immediately.

"Konichi wa," the pinkette said aloud, then looked up a moment later to actually see the two of them. "How are you doing today Hinata-chan?" She spared Neji a look, but didn't bother speaking with him.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan," Hinata replied, sitting up a little straighter and clasped her hands together to hide her nervous tick. "Tsunade-dono said to make sure that you give me a complete relevant medical file to take with me during my extended mission."

"Of course," Sakura agreed, then held out the clipboard for Hinata to see. Neji quietly activated his byakugan, turning to face the wall so that the two woman wouldn't know he was reading whatever material was written down. He scanned over the file as two women went over the pages together, occasionally filling in gaps or discussing what was or wasn't appropriate information to have on. After only a minute or two Neji deactivated his byakugan, but Hinata and Sakura continued to discuss everything in length.

Finally Hinata stood up, and Neji turned towards the two woman to catch the end of their conversation.

"Give this directly to the doctor who will be there during labour," Sakura instructed sternly. Hinata accepted the folder with a nervous nod, then Neji stood to join her as she moved to leave the room.

"Arigatou, Sakura-chan," Hinata thanked her softly; Neji could see her mind drift back into whatever daze had been affecting her all week.

Hinata stepped out into the hallway quickly, but before Neji could follow a firm hand on his arm pulled him to a stop. He looked back towards Sakura, who for the first time that afternoon had her undivided attention on the Hyuuga man. "... how long until she leaves?" She asked. Neji could see the curiosity in the pinkette's eyes, mingled with some docterly concern and a touch of something he couldn't identify. _Most likely worry - her friend **is **going to a foreign village to have a baby, after all. _Neji's own conflicting emotions surged for a moment; he closed his eyes and took a deep breathe, then turned away and proceeded to exit out to the hallway._  
><em>

"Two weeks from now," he spoke loudly enough that Sakura should have been able to hear, but didn't wait to see her response.

* * *

><p>Pale green eyes scanned over the mission scroll spread open on his desk. <em>The penmanship is immaculate, <em>he thought idly. The information in front of him was still turning over in his head. His gaze picked over the words and lingered over the most important ones: top-secret, Hyuuga Hinata, pregnant...

A knock on the door interrupted Gaara's thoughts, and with a sigh the Kagekage rolled up the mission scroll. "Come in," he replied, dropping the scroll into the top drawer of his desk in time to see his brother enter. "Kankuro." He nodded for a greeting, offering his older brother a rare grin.

"Gaara-chan!" Kankuro whined, moving across the room quickly to slump down low in one of the chairs in front of the Kazekage's desk. The puppet user then proceeded to cross his arms and pout in a very unbecoming, and overly theatrical, manner.

Gaara raised an eyebrow at his brother and leaned back in his chair.

"Don't give me that look, ja!" Kankuro scowled.

The young redhead could only shake his head. "What is wrong, Kankuro?"

"Everything!" His brother threw his arms above his head dramatically as he started to complain about his past week. Gaara listened for a moment before a frown formed on his lips, then raised a hand to stop the puppet user's monologue.

"Kankuro, stop," he said evenly. He waited for his brother to quiet down before continuing, "please start again, but slower this time."

Kankuro's scowl deepened, but he leaned forward and started again from the beginning. "It's been more than a week since I made my proposal to the puppet corps to start a more recreational style of puppeteering in the academies, ja, in order to get kids interested in becoming kugutsu-users." Then he sighed and sank back into the chair. "But as soon as the Elder Counsel found out about it they decided to make my mission schedule so full that I won't have any time to work on it."

"Hn," Gaara nodded, understanding his brother's over-dramatic frustration. The Elder Counsel had done something similar when he was striving to become the Kazekage. "That is a problem... if you cut back your mission availability, then you probably won't be able to get work to make money." His older brother stared at him for a moment, his face paling from beneath his bunraku paints; he obviously hadn't thought of that. "And if you don't have as much money coming in, then you probably won't be able to afford to continue to make the puppets."

Kankuro groaned, slinging an arm over his eyes to blind himself. "This is horrible."

Gaara rolled his eyes at his brother.

Suddenly Kankuro sat up straight, an excited look on his face. "I got an idea, ja!"

"I'm not going to just tell them to stop," Gaara deadpanned, looking away from his brother to pull a document off of the tall pile in his inbox. _I still have work to do brother. I don't have time for your dramatics. _"It would seem like favourtism. Find another solution."

The puppet user slumped back down, a thoughtful look on his face. He gave no indication that he was going to look for his answer anywhere else in the Kazekage Tower, so Gaara simply ignored him as he continued to read over documents. The red haired Kage didn't even comment when his brother extended his chakra strings to pull and twitch different items in the room; Kankuro stopped the fan for a little while, then pulled all of Gaara's pens out from their holder and organized them by colour on the edge of Gaara's desk.

"Oh! Ja!" Kankuro jumped up to a stand. "Are there anymore of those boring delegatory missions? They're usually long, so even if I have to leave the village I can bring my puppets and props with me and probably have time to work on it!" Kankuro looked rather pleased with himself, and Gaara managed another rare grin as he looked up from his paperwork.

And then he remembered the top-secret mission scroll in his desk drawer. "How about a mission here?" Gaara offered casually. "We have an important guest coming to stay with us, and she needs a... body guard to keep her situation hidden during her stay."

"An incognito mission?" Kankuro frowned again, a more sober expression coming onto his face as he straightened up. "Who are we harbouring? Not a fugitive?"

"Not a fugitive," Gaara shook his head, but could understand his brother's worries. Their father would not have cared about keeping peace between the other ninja countries, and had been known to protect fugitives from other hidden villages during his reign as Third Kazekage. "Just a women who needs to lay low for a little while. The Godaime herself has made this request."

"Someone from Konoha?" confusion washed over the puppeteer's face. "That's strange. Konoha generally take care of their own."

"As do we," Gaara agrees. "But this case is... special. Do you accept?"

"I suppose, ja," Kankuro shrugged. "As long as I get time to work on my puppets. How long is the mission for?"

"Two years."

Kankuro blinked several times. "Two years? Really?"

"Hai," Gaara nodded. "She will be staying under the pretense of being a teacher. We are going to exchange shinobi with Konoha to work in the Academies at the same time."

Kankuro nodded as well, filing the information away in his head. Then he gestured to Gaara as another question came to mind, "Oi, who are we sending?"

"I was thinking of Temari," Gaara admitted. "She has been brooding lately; I figured another chance to irritate that Yamanaka-girl would cheer her up."

"Ja," a grin stretched across Kankuro's face. "And we could use a bit of peace and quiet."

Gaara didn't miss the sad little glint in the puppet user's dark eyes as Kankuro excused himself from the Kazekage's office. Gaara would miss their oldest sibling as well, but he knew that Kankuro and Temari were closer._ That happens when the two siblings have to fear for their lives against their younger brother._ He tried to feel happy that his little issue with the secret scroll had solved itself neatly enough.

Gaara looked down at the drawer the secret school was in. Kankuro had left without requesting any information, but although Gaara knew that the scroll was important he wasn't concerned about rushing the document to his older brother. _Kankuro is busy getting his puppets ready, _Gaara reasoned with himself. _I still have time to tell him.__  
><em>


	9. The Talk

**The Talk**

Neji had left her outside the hospital - Lee was expecting him for training, and he didn't want to be late. Hinata couldn't blame him; she had trained with Team Guy on a couple of occasions, and being late resulted in serious repercussions. Once her and Neji had done fifty laps around the village, ten laps for every minute they had made the others wait.

After her cousin left Hinata slowly made her way towards Kurenai's house. _I haven't seen anyone all week. _No one had visited her at the Hyuuga Estate, partly because most of her small group of friends knew better (anyone who knocked at the Hyuuga Household were sent to Hiashi or the Elder Counsel immediately) and partly because Kurenai would have told them to give her space (her sensei always knew when she needed extra time alone). She missed them, and she wanted to spend what little time she had left talking and laughing with them as if the were her real family; in many ways they were her real family.

The walk seemed short, probably because Hinata's mind had been lost in thought. It seemed like Kurenai's door materialized in front of her out of thin air, and for a moment Hinata paused.

She could still remember sneaking in after the festival (_Was it really five weeks ago?_) after her stolen night with a stranger. She wondered for a moment where he was now - Hinata had chosen him because she had never seen him in the village before, so she supposed that he had returned home shortly after the festival ended. Should could remember the soft texture of his brown hair, and the way his dark eyes kept finding hers so easily the entire night. _Will this baby look like him at all? _She desperately hoped not.

Shaking the thoughts of the stranger out of her head, she reached forwards to open the door... only to find that it was locked. Hinata frowned for a moment, then raised a fist to knock. _Is no one home..?_

It was strange for the door to be locked. Being a household of entirely ninja, not including little Asa, no one saw the need to lock the door. Thieves would be foolish to target that house. Even more so when they realized that the house belonged to Kurenai, mother of the late Asuma's child - ANBU regularly passed by on rooftops or in the shadows just to make sure that nothing was amiss.

It wasn't long before Hinata heard the scrape of the lock being turned, then the door swung open to reveal a tired looking Kakashi with a bundle in his arms. The older man didn't respond to the surprise on Hinata's face; instead he dumped the bundle into her arms, turned on his heel and walked back into the house. Hinata fumbled with the bundle for a moment before she realized that it was Asa - the little girl was sleeping.

"Hello," Hinata said aloud to the sleeping girl, confusion thick in her voice. She followed Kakashi into the house and found him lying on the couch in the living room. "What are you doing here, Kakashi-san?"

"She wouldn't let me sit down," Kakashi said vaguely, waving a hand towards Hinata. She guessed that he was talking about Asa. "Every time I tried to put her down in her bed she woke up crying. And every time I tried to sit down she woke up crying. Why does she keep crying?"

"I don't know," Hinata shrugged. She found a seat on a small couch on the other side of the living room, and laid the little girl down next to her to rest. "She seems fine now." Hinata chewed on her lip for a moment, starting bluntly at her Team Captain. _What is Kakashi doing here? Kakashi never comes over. _"Where is Kurenai and everyone else?"

"Missions," Kakashi responded simply. "Shikamaru and Chouji are away in the Mist. Kiba is helping his sister round up wild wolves. Shino is on an ANBU mission."

"Kurenai and Ino?"

"Yamanaka is working," Hinata thought she saw a frown beneath Kakashi's mask, but his face and voice lightened as he continued. "Kurenai went to the market. She called me to look after Asa, because everyone else is busy."

"Aa..." Hinata nodded.

They were both silent for a minute, then Kakashi slowly sat back up. He rolled his shoulders as if they were stiff, his one uncovered eye peering at Hinata from across the room. Hinata tried not to squirm - she had never felt comfortable alone in the copy nin's presence. It was always as if he knew exactly what you were thinking, and he had an unorthodox way of letting you know.

"Well," Kakashi started. Hinata tensed, not knowing what to expect. "When are you leaving for Suna?"

"S-Suna..?" Hinata tensed. _How does he know? I haven't told anyone._

"Who else would Tsunade trust to keep a Konoha shinobi hidden away long enough to secretly have a child?"

"O-of course," Hinata replied nervously. _An obvious conclusion, I guess. _"Two weeks."

Kakashi nodded and leaned back heavily against the back of the couch. There was another uncomfortable silence as he continued to stare at Hinata for awhile longer, then his gaze dropped lower. "How far along are you?"

"Roughly five weeks," she replied immediately.

Kakashi nodded again, his one eye raising back up to meet hers; Hinata was surprised to see how much emotion he had hidden within that one eye. "Kurenai is worried about you." He lifted a hand to stop her when Hinata opened her mouth to speak. "She doesn't want you to be alone through all this," his gaze dropped lower once again, and Hinata self consciously wrapped her arms around her middle. "She had all of you guys," Kakashi looked up and pointed at all the pictures lining the walls; Hinata looked as well, and saw the smiling faces of both Team 8 and Team 10 from back when they were all still rookies. There were more pictures as well, candid shots of her and Ino in the flower shop, Shikamaru having a smoke under a tree, Kiba and Shino training, Chouji playing with Asa... "But without Asuma," Kakashi's voice drew Hinata back to the conversation, "she was still alone."_  
><em>

Hinata moved to look at Kakashi again, and his one eyed gaze was staring straight at her. She tried not to squirm as she worked out a response. _But I can't have a baby here. And I don't want to wait until I'm forced to marry some diplomat or distant Clan Member - I want a child now, so I can watch him grow up with Asa. _She couldn't say that though, so instead she tilted her head to the side with a frown forced onto her face and asked "since when does Kurenai-sensei confide in you, Kakashi-san?"

He laughed, his one visible eye squinting in a grin as the sound filled the small room. Hinata couldn't help but smile as she waited for him to stop; his eye still held a happy twinkle in them once he calmed down. "Us old adults need to stick together - and I am the new captain of her old team. She makes sure to find me at least once a week." He left it at that.

Hinata feigned a giggle, checked to make sure that Asa was still asleep, then stood up and headed out of the room. "Well, I need to speak with my father about any last minute arrangements. I'll see you-"

"Hinata," Kakashi interrupted her, and she turned to look at him one last time. The twinkle was gone from the copy nin's eye. "You don't have to answer our questions, but is it really okay to not let the father know? To not raise the child like a proper family? It's not too late."

Hinata chewed on her lip and diverted her eyes. "It's not fair to him," she muttered. _He didn't get a choice. It's not like he **wanted **to have a family - he just wanted a good time for one night._ "And I'll be content knowing that he'll be close, and that I can still see him. And he'll be able to play with Asa."

"Are you sure that 'content' is enough?" Kakashi pressed.

She chewed on her lip a little harder, the bit of pain stopping the tears that were suddenly welling at her eyes. "Yes." She feigned strength, then turned her back to Kakashi and left.

* * *

><p>"Have you thought about kids, Haruka-san?" Hiashi asked the question seemingly out of the blue - before now the conversation had been all about how her training had been going, about her teammates, what sort of missions she had gone on... nothing extremely personal. Hiashi could tell by the way the young woman paused at length that the thought of children wasn't a high priority in her mind. <em>And why should it be? She probably has some boy she's too busy blushing about to think about settling down.<em>

"Iie," Haruka shook her head slowly; he could tell that the ease she had been feeling was replaced with nervousness and confusion. "Why do you ask, Hiashi-sama?"

Hiashi could feel a headache forming. _This all seemed much easier when I first thought of it. _"The Hyuuga House is expecting another young one," he revealed, being careful not to point any fingers just yet.

Haruka smiled prettily. "Congratulations," she bowed her head in respect, keeping it lowered for a few extra moments before she looked back up.

_Seems genuine, _Hiashi mused. "Unfortunately," he continued. "The mother will be... unable to keep the child." Haruka immediately muttered her regrets, but Hiashi could see that she was simply more confused now. "As such, the child will need a surrogate mother." He let the statement hang in the air as he stared straight into the young woman's byakugan eyes, just a little paler than his own.

It took a few moments, but then Haruka blinked a couple of times and let out a nervous laugh. "Y-you... you want me to raise a kid?" Hiashi nodded, and watched as a multitude of emotions ran over the young woman's face; shock, curiosity, anger. "And why are you asking me?"

Hiashi waited for the feelings to cool down off of the young woman's face before he carefully pieced together his answer. "You are a young, capable woman," he complimented her. "From our conversation this afternoon it would seem that you are quite accomplished as a kunoichi. And you are sufficiently skilled in the Hakke style - as a guardian, you are more than qualified to raise a clan child."

"But why not someone else?" Haruka asked immediately.

He waited again, this time for the young woman to feel the awkward sort of shame that most felt after they bursted out at their clan leader. Once she was sitting back in her chair with her eyes diverted to his desk Hiashi resumed the conversation. "You are uniquely qualified for this job." And she was. Looking over the young woman carefully there was no doubt in Hiashi's mind that she bore a strong resemblance to Hinata; her face was sharper, her eyes a little paler, and she wore her long hair tied into a messy knot on her head. But Haruka's mother had been one of Hinata's aunts (from her mother's side), giving her the same unique dark blue hair that few other Hyuuga's could claim. They were even roughly the same height. _If you raise Hinata's child, then no one will question that it will be yours. _"There are a few additional extenuating circumstances, but first you must agree."

He could see the girl wring her hangs together as she thought, her pale eyes darting around the room as if looking for an escape. But Hiashi knew what her answer would have to be.

"What about missions?" She jumped on the question desperately.

"You would of course have a short leave, then you could resume a limited amount of Shinobi work," Hiashi assured. "You would also be provided with a private house on the estate. And should any..." Hiashi paused as he reached for a word, "_suitors _wish for your attention or courtship, you are free to per sue them so long as you don't neglect the child in any way." The young woman blushed.

Hiashi waited once more, this time for Haruka to think over all of her options. _She can refuse, and then she'll feel as if she disappointed her Clan Leader and her Clan, _Hiashi thought morbidly. _Or she can accept._

Her shoulders slumped, and Hiashi felt guilty for not giving the girl better options. _But this is for Hinata. _"Hai, Hiashi-sama. I'll take care of the child." She looked up at him with a smile, though he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "What are the extenuating circumstances?"

Hiashi let out a long breathe. _And now for the hard part._


	10. The Preparations

**The Preparations**

The heat pulsed down on his shoulders, his black robes intensifying his state of discomfort. A dry wind blew dust into his eyes, stray tears streaking his purple makeup down his face. Normally he enjoyed taking a stroll in the desert, but today his post-mission trudge home fell on high-noon when any sane desert dweller would be locked inside with a cold drink and the comfort of a darkened room. _Time for a nap._

The village rose out from the desert haze like a mirage, and Kankuro wasn't surprised to find Gaara waiting for him at the base of the wall. "Konnichi wa Gaara-kun!" the puppet user greeted jovially.

Gaara frowned at him, his dark rimmed eyes marred by a crease of displeasure. "You're late."

"Ja, ja." Kankuro waved off the complaint as he stepped up to his younger brother. The sand solidified beneath his feet as the Kazekage effortlessly rose them both towards the top of the wall that protected the village. "You know how it goes; a simple manhunt turns into a multi-nin battle… sometimes things take longer than they should." He could still feel the slight stickiness of his black robes, blacker still for all the blood they had soaked up from battle. _Nah, time for a shower. Nap after._ "How are things?"

"Things?" Gaara repeated back at him.

Kankuro rolled his eyes at his younger brother. "Yes, things. You know what I mean. What's been going on since I've been gone? It's been a week, ja? Lots of things can happen it a week."

"It's been two weeks," the Kazekage corrected.

Kankuro pursed his lips as he thought over his mission; it was the last one he was to complete before the start of his two 'year stay-at-home-and-babysit' job (a title he unimaginatively came up with himself), the Elder Council's last jab at keeping him too busy to succeed with his puppet-project. _I suppose I did take that personal day once I got to Amegakure. And it took a couple days longer to track down the Missing-Nin than I thought. And then another personal day to recover. And then his friends tried to ambush me… and then there was travel time._ "Ja, two weeks makes sense," he nodded his agreement.

A nerve twitched on Gaara's face, and Kankuro smiled sweetly at him. He took a particular pride in still being able to bother his younger sibling. "I expect a full report by tonight," the Kazekage ignored the puppet user's groan. "And you have three days to ready your new house for our two guests." They reached the top of the wall and Gaara stepped off of the sand platform, not waiting for Kankuro as he began the descent towards the streets of Suna.

Kankuro blinked, and caught up to his brother in a flash. "House? Two guests?" He pushed ahead a couple of steps, turning to walk backwards so that he could see the Kazekage's face.

"Hai," Gaara nodded minutely. "I have recieved several additional mission scrolls since the first one, each with new and crucial information. All of which you have been absent for."

Kankuro pouted, deftly descending the stairs backwards as he crossed his arms. "That is hardly my fault! The Elder Council sent me out of the village _hours_ after you gave me that mission."

Gaara reached out, pulling Kankuro to a stop as he reached the bottom stair and saving the puppet user from an embarrassing misstep. "Regardless," the Kazekage responded. "Temari left this morning for Konoha, and our guests should be arriving in three days time. You are to ready the house I procured for you, and then go meet them in the desert; they should be travelling along the trade route you helped establish on your last visit." Gaara paused and looked at Kankuro pointedly.

The puppet user scratched his chin thoughtfully, messing up his already ruined face paints. "You're being awfully vague with the details. Why are two people from Konoha taking refuge here?"

"Kunoichi," Gaara elaborated. "And all the information is in the mission scrolls."

"Top secret, ja?" Kankuro grinned. "Otherwise you would've told me by now." Gaara just continued to stare. Kankuro let out a sigh, his good mood deflating. "Where are the scrolls?"

"In your new house. I hid them under the floorboards of where I assume you will set up your workshop."

"Being a little candid with top secret information, aren't you?" Kankuro teased him. Gaara rolled his eyes, then pushed past his brother. "Can you at least tell me who is coming to visit?" He called after the Kazekage. Gaara didn't respond, just rose his hand in a lazy wave over his shoulder as he continued towards Kage Tower. "Ja, ja, good afternoon to you too, Gaara-kun!"

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Kankuro mused over his cryptic mission. _Well, I guess everything will become clearer once I figure out where this new house is and read the mission scrolls._ He started towards the civilian's district, a relatively new - and still sparsely inhabited - quarter of Suna. _It'll be like finding an empty house on a street of empty houses._

* * *

><p>She double checked her bags, byakugan activated for convenience. She perused the contents of the cart in front of her layer by layer, dismissing the bags of clothes and instead making sure that all of her favoured weapons were included, as well as her special pair of weightless boots Neji had given her on her last birthday. Next to a box filled with books she had yet to read was a small pile of gifts her friends had insisted on giving her as 'housewarming presents' that Hinata resisted the urge to look at. Ino had instructed her not to open any of the gifts until after she arrived at Suna and was starting to settle into her new home. The last spaces on the cart were filled with the bags of her travelling companion, and out of respect the heiress deactivated her byakugan and looked away.<p>

She lifted her pack to her shoulder, glad that she had convinced her father to let her and Haruka travel fast and light in front of the cart; she hadn't been looking forward to a slow trek with the first caravan of trade goods between Konoha and Suna, always preferring the brisk pace that she was used to Kiba and Shino setting whenever they were on missions. _And that's what this is,_ she told herself as she turned to look at the small group of people who had amassed at the gates to see them off. _A mission. The most important mission._ She let out a short breath, then stepped towards them.

Kurenai was in tears, and strode forward to pull Hinata into a hug. "I'll miss you," she mumbled into Hinata's hair.

"I'll miss you too." She embraced Kurenai tightly, her heart clenching in distress. "I'll be back soon. You'll see." Kurenai nodded, and pulled away quietly. The older woman knew better than to draw out a goodbye.

Ino was next, with Shikamaru holding little Asa right beside her. The blond grinned at her with a wink. _She's hiding behind that smile._ "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Ino told her lewdly, even going so far as to elbow Hinata playfully.

Hinata blushed. _I think I've already done that…_ "G-goodbye Ino-san, Shikamaru-kun." She smiled at them both, then leaned forward to give Asa a kiss on the head. _Soon enough you'll have a new little playmate, and this will all be worth it._ Chouji pushed past them to give her a hug, and Ino pulled Shikamaru into the mess so that all of Ino-Shika-Cho, plus Asa, were surrounding her.

Tears welled in her eyes, so she pulled away and moved to look at her teammates. Shino stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder as he looked at her through his sunglasses. "Be careful," he told her. Hinata nodded, only to have Akamaru nuzzle into her side demanding attention. She scratched the nin-dog behind the ears fondly, before looking up to where Kiba was still sulking with his arms crossed. "Don't mind him," Shino told her. "This is hard for him. He always thought that you and he would…" he trailed off, but he didn't need to finish. Hinata smiled with understanding, then hugged her teammate, one of her oldest friends.

She looked up at Kiba again, and wasn't surprised when Kakashi suddenly appeared behind the unsuspecting ninja. Their team leader forced Kiba forwards, and with a grumble he faced the heiress. "Be safe." He said without meeting her gaze.

"Hai." She couldn't stop the tear that slipped from her eye, but she didn't mind. "I will miss you Kiba-kun." She looked up at the silver-haired copy-nin. "You too Kakashi-sensei. Arigatou." Kakashi winked his one eye, eliciting a giggle from the Hyuuga heir.

She turned before she could be overcome with anymore emotion, and saw Haruka waiting patiently for her just outside the gate. She rushed to her travel companion, squashing the awkward feeling in the pit of her stomach from the long lectures they had both received from Hinata's father.

Haruka did not smile at her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Hai," Hinata nodded, but looked back towards the gates where her friends were still waiting. No one had come to say goodbye to Haruka. "Are you?"

"More than ready," her cousin nodded, then turned on her heel. "I just hope you can keep up." With a flourish she was in the trees.

Hinata blinked once, reactivated her byakugan, and found Haruka already several hundred metres into the forest. With a sigh she made the seals to teleport beside the other Hyuuga, and easily fell into stride. _Slower than I would like._ She didn't miss Haruka's grunt of annoyance as the other Hyuuga pulled in front of her again, but Hinata ignored it and let her cousin set the pace.

It wasn't long before Haruka took them off the path and while Hinata could see that the slight defiance to their strict mission itinerary was an attempt at one upmanship, she didn't mind. _There's no way we would make it to Suna in three days on the trade route at this pace: a more direct route is better._ She did, however, allow her cousin the comfort of a couple dozen paces of distance, tracking Haruka with her byakugan just in case the other Hyuuga decided to alter their path again.

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken Kankuro long to find the house; Gaara had conveniently left a guard at the door. The puppet user dismissed the guard with orders to enlist help and to start bringing over Kankuro's belongings from Kage Tower, with strict instructions not to touch his puppets. Once Kankuro was sure he was alone on the quiet street he walked to the neighbouring yard, checking the windows to see if anyone was home. He did the same to little building on the other side of the house, and again to the three mirrored houses on the opposite side of the street.<p>

Happy with his quick inspection, Kankuro returned to where he would be living for the next two years. The outside of the house was the same sandstone that made up the rest of the villagescapes; however, the door was painted a bright blue. _Something to help it stand out?_ The lock was of a simple design from the Puppet Corps, bringing a smile to Kankuro's face. _You know me so well, brother._ He wiggled a single chakra thread through the mechanism, counting the tumblers slowly- _One for Temari... Two for me... Three for Gaara-_ and pulled. The locked clicked open. He knew he would have to teach his Konoha guests how to do that trick, as few Konoha ninja bothered to learn any kugutsu techniques._ Good practice I guess, since I'm making puppets for kids._

He entered the empty house, seeing the sunken entranceway that was more traditional of Konoha households. _But Gaara has become more than a little fond of the hidden village of leaf._ He bent to loosen the laces of his sandals, toeing them off with ease. He remembered his embarrassment when he had fumbled with his shoes in front of the Redhead and-

He shook his head. _Gotta forget about her._

Walking down the main hallway he could see three doors, and an archway at the far end. Kankuro opened each door as he passed, finding two bedrooms already furnished with bare beds and wooden desks, a bathroom decorated with green shower curtains and stocked with towels, and through the archway a large kitchen with an island set with barstools. He frowned, not feeling particularly attached to either of the bedrooms, but noticed a small door on the other side of the kitchen. He crossed the tiles, expecting to find a pantry but instead saw stairs behind the door. He ascended, smiling once he discovered that the entire upper floor was one sprawling bachelor's room, with its own bathroom next to the stairs and a countertop stretching along the entire far wall. Kankuro's even saw that there was a small fridge plugged in under the counter, tucked off in a corner where it might be convenient. _Aa... You know me so well, brother._ He walked the perimeter of the large room slowly, listening for a creaky floorboard. When he found it he pried it loose and drew out three mission scrolls.

Kankuro debated taking a shower first, but he knew that the information had already been unintentionally put off for far too long. _Might as well get it over with now._ He looked for the one dated the oldest - Gaara always printed the reseal date on the outside of the scroll - and pried it open. He recognized the Hyuuga name, scanning over the mission summary briefly. His eyes stuck on the first line.

_Hyuuga Hinata is pregnant, and wishes to secretly give birth in Suna._

The puppet user blinked several times, then read the scroll in its entirety before opening the other two and reading them as well. He tucked away certain details necessary for him to know: she would be helping at the academy; she was high risk for kidnappings; her cousin would be present as her body double; a midwife would need to be hired for a home birth. A few other notes jumped out at him, but they jumbled together in his mind as he tried to imagine little Hyuuga Hinata, pregnant. _She was dressed as a spinster when I last saw her. And now she's having a kid out of wedlock?_ He could only imagine how much of a scandal this could become for the Hyuuga Household. The last document said how far along she was, and with a little bit of math and digging for calendar dates in his memory, Kankuro deduced that conception had been about 7 weeks ago. _That was around the time of the festival._ He chuckled, unable to hide his grin. _Guess Shikamaru was right, it is a time to act without fear of consequence._

He wondered briefly who the father was, but shook the thought away as he stood up. _None of my business who knocked her up, just to keep her safe and comfortable and secret._ He headed downstairs, beyond ready for his shower and already regretting that he wouldn't have time for a nap - there were too many things to get prepare before the expecting mother arrived.


	11. The Desert

**The Desert**

They had been pressing on continuously for hours, and Hinata was impressed with Haruka's stamina. The other Hyuuga was living up to her Chuunin status; but the heiress could see that Haruka was beginning to tire, and didn't know how to broach the subject of stopping for a short rest. _Yesterday she insisted on pushing forward for half the night, and would only allow for four hours to sleep. Her determination is admirable, but we are in no rush._

Hinata sighed, using her byakugan to look beyond Haruka and past the forest where the plains smoothed into the desert. She planted her next step more firmly against the tree she was vaulting through, gained a burst of speed and caught up to the chuunin easily. "Haruka-san?" She called, loud enough to be heard overtop of their vigorous motions. Haruka didn't respond, but Hinata saw her angle her head in recognition of being spoken to. "We are in River Country now, and will be entering the desert soon. We should stop for dinner, and maybe-" Hinata just made out the hand signs before Haruka disappeared, a cloud of leaves marking her departure. "... Maybe start heading towards the route where our mission statement says we will be," the heiress finished.

It wasn't the first time that Haruka had disappeared during a conversation over the last two weeks. Her father had assured her that Haruka had accepted all responsibilities of being a surrogate mother, and saw no qualms with the girl's flighty nature._ Then again, she would never dare to disrespect my father. Me on the other hand..._ Hinata could only imagine what the Branch family said about her behind her back._ The disinherited daughter, unable to protect herself and begging back into the family._ Neji was her only cousin she spent any time with on the compound, and while he understood the hardships she had gone through and the plans she had to bring fairness and balance between the two Hyuuga factions, he made it clear that the entirety of the Branch Family would oppose her just as much as the Hyuuga Council would._ "They mistrust you on principle,"_ he told her once. _"They have no reason to believe you have their best interests in mind."_

Hinata dropped to the forest floor, slowing to a walk as her Byakugan eyes found Haruka pausing at a stream 100 metres North. Comfortable in her solitude she placed both hands on her belly, imagining what her child would mean to the entire Hyuuga Clan if her plot succeeded: a Branch member without a curse seal. _The first without a curse seal._ It filled herself with a sense of pride, almost warm enough to drown out the inevitable fear of loneliness. _It'll be a beginning. He will be able to play with Asa, and he will be free, and all Hyuuga after him will be free as well._

The nausea came suddenly, dizziness pushing at her eyes and forcing her to let go of her hold on the byakugan. With a gasp Hinata grabbed onto the nearest tree, but the worst of it faded once her vision returned to normal. She recalled the small breakfast she had allowed herself and felt guilty. Producing several protein bars and a water bottle from her pack, the heiress sat down and enjoyed the familiar sensations of the forest knowing that it would be some time before she returned. The adrenaline from running all day wore off, and she felt more tired than she would had she been with her teammates. _But I wasn't pregnant then,_ she consoled herself. Closing her eyes Hinata allowed herself a moments rest, trusting her senses to keep her safe and her Byakugan to help her find Haruka again.

* * *

><p>"Matsuri-chan~!" Kankuro sang, searching through the halls of Kage Tower. He had enlisted the brunettes help the day before to finish getting the two bedrooms ready, not feeling comfortable with picking out sheets or additional furniture for women's rooms. He hadn't seen her since. "Matsuri-chan!"<p>

Yesterday he had found a kindly old lady to be a midwife, a retired medic-nin who had lost all her vision in one eye; Kankuro had spared her the details of the mission and asked her to come to the house with the blue door the following week, after his houseguests had had time to settle. Then he tasked himself with his least favourite chore, grocery shopping, and stocked the kitchen with all the essentials, making sure to buy vitamins to help compensate for the lack of fresh produce in Suna. _That should hopefully change in the next few weeks, once we start trading glasswares with Konoha._ He even grabbed a couple of books on pregnancy, ignoring the weird looks that the shopkeeper had given him.

Satisfied that he wouldn't be subjecting the Konoha kunoichi to starvation, he had overseen the complete teardown of his workshop, boxing poisons and puppets and tools. The guard he had tasked with moving his belongings had managed to move his bedroom into the second floor bachelor without any major incident; it would be a tight squeeze, but he already had a layout in mind. He would sequester his living quarters next to the bathroom for convenience, and he would need to set up shelves on the available walls to hold all of his puppets._ It'll be cozy. But it'll be mine. _Even if he had to share the house with two women, he was excited to be out of Kage Tower. _I wonder if Gaara will let me keep the place once the mission is over..?_

None of that mattered at the moment. "Matsuri!" He tried again, finding himself walking towards Gaara's office. _I wonder if she's swooning over him again?_ He sped to the door, raising a hand to unceremoniously enter when-

"Kankuro-san?" He whipped around, seeing Matsuri standing a few steps behind him. "What's the ruckus all about?"

He composed himself, crossing his arms as he pulled a face at her, trying to look serious. She knew better. "I'm leaving shortly; did you get the stuff?"

"Stuff?" Matsuri raised a brow delicately.

"Stop sounding like Gaara," Kankuro huffed. "The bedroom stuff. I don't know how to decorate a girl's room."

"Haven't you spent enough time in them?" She asked innocently.

"Haha. Very funny." He rolled his eyes. _Now she's sounding like Temari._ "Seriously though, did you get everything?"

"Hai, hai," she waved off his doubts. "I was just looking for you to get the key so that I can go get it all set up."

"There isn't a key."

"What do you mean there isn't a key?"

"It's a chakra lock. There isn't a physical key."

"Then how do I open it?"

"You don't," Kankuro turned again, opening the office door with a flourish and entering. "Gaara-kun!" He announced, listening for Matsuri's following footsteps as the Kazekage looked up from his spot at his desk. "We are in need of your assistance!"

"Kankuro!" he watched Gaara's green eyes dart to where Matsuri had stepped up beside him. "Don't bother the Kazekage with such frivolous requests!"

Kankuro rolled his eye again, turning in time to settle his gaze on Matsuri. She had a glare set on her face, her hands perched on her hips and her lips pursed like a scolding mother. "He's the Kazekage. He deals with frivolous requests all the time. Ja, Gaara-kun?" He rose a hand in Gaara's direction, but didn't look away from Matsuri.

"Be more considerate!" She scolded. "He's a very busy person!"

"He's my little brother," Kankuro pointed out nonchalantly. "I doubt he's too busy for family."

Matsuri opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the deliberate scrapping of a chair against the floor. She and Kankuro both turned to look at Gaara, who now stood behind his desk. "What do you need, Kankuro?" He asked patiently.

"I need to leave the village shortly," Kankuro elaborated. "After studying the mission scrolls you left for me, I need to leave before sunset to meet up with the Konoha party. I'll stay with them the night and return with them in the morning."

Gaara's face remained smooth as he absorbed the information. "And what do you need my help for?"

"I asked Matsuri-chan," he gestured towards the small brunette, watching again as Gaara shifted his attention to her. "To help me furnish their bedrooms in the house you supplied for the duration of the mission." Kankuro grinned. "Love the house by the way. Is this to make up for all those birthdays you ignored when we were kids?" Matsuri elbowed him, causing the puppet user to jump.

"Kankuro," Gaara reprimanded curtly; Kankuro shrugged sheepishly. "I take it you need me to let her in?" The Kazekage concluded.

"Ja," Kankuro nodded.

"Very well," the Kazekage moved around the desk gracefully, stepping towards the pair. He paused briefly in front of Matsuri, and Kankuro looked to see a blush covering the girl's face. _Aa… young love!_ He and Temari both secretly rooted for the girl, hoping to one day see their younger brother accept the romantic feelings of someone else. _Anyone else._ "Matsuri-san?"

"Arigatou, Kazekage-dono!" Matsuri replied tensely. "I just need to… to get the stuff out of my dormitory and… can I meet you there?" Gaara nodded and she all but ran out of the office.

Kankuro laughed, drawing his brother's attention. "You could've just taken the time to take her there yourself," the Kazekage pointed out.

"Ja," the puppet user agreed. "But she's too adorable when she's acting awkward."

Gaara blinked once. "I hadn't noticed."

"Of course you wouldn't," he sighed. _He's hopeless._ Kankuro looked out the large windows behind Gaara's desk, eyeing the long shadows being cast on the village. "Looks about time for me to leave. Walk me to the gates?" Gaara smiled, nodded, and together the brothers left the office.

* * *

><p>A wolf howled in the distance, startling Hinata awake. Twilight was overhead, the first stars just peaking out between the forest canopy, and Hinata cursed her tired body for oversleeping. She jumped up, her nausea forgotten, and activated her Byakugan. Her eyes found the stream Haruka had stopped at earlier, but the other kunoichi was gone. <em>Kuso!<em> She looked farther, panic gripping in her chest as she expanded her sight in all directions and she searched for some clue to Haruka's wearabouts. Luck was on her side, and Hinata saw a trail of footprints leaving the plains and heading directly into the desert.

Leaving her Byakugan gaze fixed on the footprints, Hinata rushed towards the trail. She only hoped that the wind wouldn't pick up and wash away the tracks.

* * *

><p>Kankuro waved at Gaara from the base of the walls, turning his back to Suna as he pulled a little map out of his pocket. A red X was marked just inside the border of Wind Country, North a ways from the plains of River Country. He picked up the pace, falling into an easy jog while his mind wandered over his latest puppet designs, musing to help the time pass.<p>

Darkness had fully settled on the horizon, the milky way cutting the the heavens in two as the moon smiled down through the clear night, when he heard it. A soft echo of running in the distance. Instinct caused him to twist his body, using basic taijutsu to burrow under the sand as he cast his chakra threads around him. _It's probably just some hapless Genin, returning late from training._ Memory told him not to trust his rational mind, and he waited. One minute turned to five as the running became louder. It occurred to him that whomever it was was B-lining straight for his hiding spot; Kankuro tensed, preparing for battle.

Whoever it was, was close now. Close enough to notice and avoid stepping on his chakra threads, to stop steps away from where he lay hidden beneath the sand, to-

"Please," a familiar voice sounded. Kankuro lifted back up and out of the sand, shock hidden behind his facade, to see Hyuuga Hinata panting in front of him. "Help me," the heiress pleaded. "She rushed into the desert without me and I can't see her and I don't know what to do and-" her voice hitched, tears welling up into her eyes as she continued babbling on the edge of an anxiety attack.

"Hey, hey," Kankuro stepped forward, placing both of his hands on her shoulders and bending to look her straight in the eye. "Calm down, take a deep breathe." She did as he said, levelling her pearl eyes with his own. She chewed on her lip, and Kankuro tried to smile reassuringly at her. "Now, who did you lose?"

"Haruka, my cousin," Hinata explained quickly. He could almost see the frustration welling up behind her eyes. "We're heading to Suna so that we can… t-to-"

"I know why you're coming to Suna," Kankuro quieted her. "As luck would have it, I was on my way to meet you."

"You were?"

"I was," he nodded, squeezing her shoulders. He watched her calm down, the tears in her lashes settling as she collected her thoughts. Kankuro cocked his head to the side, carefully measuring his words. "Why didn't you two stay together?" _And why didn't you wait where you were supposed to?_

The Hyuuga woman sighed deeply, breaking away from his gaze to look down at her fingers; Kankuro followed her eyes to watch as she pushed her index fingers together awkwardly. "I th-think she's r-rebelling against me," she hiccoughed, pulling a smile out of the puppeteer._ She's like a lost puppy._ "She _agreed_ to come with me," she stressed the word. "But I don't think that _she thinks_ that it's fair."

Kankuro let go of her and flopped down on the sand cross legged. "Well, you're probably right." She hiccoughed again, looking down at him. _She looks broken._ "She's with you to take your kid, ja?" Hinata jumped, surprised spreading across her face; Kankuro raised his hands to stop her from asking questions. "It's why I was coming to get you; Gaara-kun - I mean, the Kazekage - put me in charge of you while you're in Suna." Her surprise turned to a frown, and the puppeteer quickly recognized his sexist words. "I mean, in charge of your safety," he corrected. "And in charge of your secret. I've been getting everything ready for you, got us a little house and everything. Well, Gaara got the house, I just bought some stuff to put in it. And now I'm the one babbling, how did that happen?" He forced a laugh, trying to remember a time that a girl other than his sister had made him feel awkward. _The Redhead, laughing that I forgot condoms._ He squashed the thought away immediately.

Hinata trembled, the tears threatening to come back. "Haruka spent the entire trip avoiding me. She just kept running - I think she wanted to run away. Like she's trapped."

"Is she?" Her shoulders trembled, and Kankuro immediately regretted asking the question. "She ran into the desert? When?"

He watched Hinata steel her spine. "I don't know," she admitted. "I told her we should rest - she moved away and stopped by a stream. I tried to respect her space, and stayed away, but I fell asleep." She met his eyes again. "I didn't mean to sleep that long. I didn't think she'd _run_ from me."

"Hm." He sat back on his hands, tactfully avoiding the woman's self-deprecating language. "You say she did agree to come to Suna?" Hinata nodded. "And that she's just rebelling against you? No one else?" Another nod. Kankuro pulled himself back to a stand, brushing the sand off of his clothes and reaching for Hinata's shoulder again. "Then she'll head for Suna. We'll meet her there."

"We _have_ to find her," Hinata pleaded, the tears coming back in force. "It's m-my fault!"

"I sympathize, really," the puppeteer turned her gently in the direction of the Hidden Village of Sand. _Not really,_ he amended in his mind. "But my mission is to protect you. If your body double wants to play hookie, then your clan should've found a better body double." Kankuro cringed when Hinata's tears began anew. _Smooth, that's the class you're known for. _The heiress tried to speak, but her words were muffled around her cries. "What was that?"

"Sh-she's not some t-tool." Her feet stumbled, but Kankuro helped her find her balance.

He sucked in a frustrated breath. _Day one, and I already have to coddle. _"We're all tools, babe," he told her plainly. "It's what we signed up for when we became ninja. Some of us just happen to be more useful than others. Like you," he poked her shoulder, then put a hand on her back to keep her moving forwards. "Otherwise you wouldn't have_ two_ villages bending over to help you keep a secret."

Hinata froze, looking up at him with the most heartbroken expression he had ever seen. "I-I…" She stepped away from him, hugging herself as she fell into a fetal position. "I-I j-just want a b-baby. I just want to m-make things b-better. I j-just…" her words drowned out between her tears.

Kankuro fought back a groan. He pushed back his hood, running his hands through his hair as he ran over the options in his mind. _This is a stupid place to camp, and looking for a runner in the dark is hard under the best conditions; it'll be impossible with her crying. _He contemplated just leaving her there while he went and found the other woman, Haruka, but thought better of it. _Is this what Shikamaru means when he calls women 'troublesome'?_ He pulled a flare off of his belt, aimed carefully, and fired it high in the air. _That'll have to do. _Someone would see it and notify Gaara, and within the hour his younger brother would find them. _Doesn't matter where you try to hide in the desert, Gaara will find you._

That left the puppeteer to deal with the blubbering mess of a Hyuuga beside him._ I remember her being kinda pathetic, but not this bad._ He felt mean, and sat beside the crying woman to try and clear his conscience. _Must be the hormones. I think the midwife said to expect moodswings._ Cautiously he leaned into her side, rubbing her back in soothing circles like he used to do to Temari whenever a boy had broken her heart. "Don't worry," he told her. "We'll find her. Everything will be fine."

She sniffled out a 'thank you'. Kankuro sighed. _And this is why I don't want a girlfriend._


	12. The Missing-nin

**The Missing-nin**

She was asleep when Gaara found them, her head a feather against his shoulder. He found most of his scorn and skepticism had melted away to a tired reality: she had pushed too hard, broken down, and been left stranded without a teammate. _You're supposed to watch each others back, regardless of personal feelings._ Effortlessly he picked up the Hyuuga woman, then stood close to the silent Kazekage as he solidified the sand beneath them. Gaara raised the sand platform as easily as the puppet user held the raven-haired kunoichi.

Kankuro was determined to stay quiet, but he could feel his brother's piercing eyes asking _what happened?_ "It wasn't my fault, ja?" Kankuro blurted.

"Of course."

"I was on my way to meet them," not wanting to face his kazekage, he looked down at Hinata's sleeping face. "And she found me halfway. Hyuuga have those spooky white eye powers, ja?"

"Byakugan," Gaara corrected.

"Whatever." He wanted to huff dramatically, to cross his arms and pout. He wanted to finish setting up his new workshop, and gloat about his newfound privacy to his sister._ I wish you were here, Temari. You would know what to do._ "She found me first."

A pause. Kankuro studied the face still propped against his shoulder; There were still tears in her lashes. "What about Haruka?" Gaara asked.

The name rang familiar. _The other Hyuuga._ "Hinata said she ran into the desert on her own." He shifted carefully on the sand platform to look at his little brother.

Gaara nodded. "I will have to report this-"

"No," the puppet user interrupted. Gaara's expression didn't change, but a subtle change in stance told Kankuro that a reason was owed. "Hinata said she's scared. And that makes sense, ja, she has to move to a new country and in a year she's going to have to start taking care of a baby and-"

Gaara rose a hand to silence him. "I'll look for her tonight. If I can't find her I'll send Jounin in the morning. Then I'll report her as a missing-nin to the Hokage."

Relief washed over him, and Kankuro wasn't sure why. "Arigatou. As soon as we drop off Hinata I'll-"

"Stay with her," Gaara finished. The Kazekage spared Hinata a look. "Your responsibilities lie with her. I'll find the missing-nin."

Kankuro had no choice but to agree, and the rest of the slow flight home was spent in silence.

* * *

><p>She woke with a start, light falling on her face from an unfamiliar source. Assessing her surroundings she sat up on a firm bed dressed in yellow sheets. Casting aside the light blanket to check over her limbs first, she saw that only her shoes had been removed. <em>Considerate<em>. The rest of the room looked fresh and new, lacy purple curtains filtering the morning sun. Her pack was on a writing desk, and across the room there was a small closet.

She activated her byakugan and looked beyond the door, finding the expected hallway. A door across the hall lead to a matching bedroom decorated in orange and blue.

The front door opened, and Hinata returned her gaze to the hallway in time to see a familiar puppeteer stepping inside with a petite brunette. Hinata strained her ears to hear, wishing Kiba was there.

"Why have a lock without a key?" The brunette asked. Kankuro was bent over untying his sandals, and the heiress didn't make out his words. "Right," the brunette sighed. "Sorry for asking." The girl was out of her own shoes in a flash, and nimbly ran down the hallway; Hinata followed her movements to a kitchen, and watched as she started pulling things out of the fridge for a cold lunch.

Kankuro straightened, and the heiress divided her attention between the two ninja. The brunette poured herself a glass of water as the puppet user took three long strides down the hall; he stopped on the other side of the bedroom door. _Best to keep some things to myself. _Hinata deactivated her byakugan as his hand raised, blinking her eyes back into focus as she heard him knock.

"I'm coming in!" He announced, and suddenly the door was open and Hinata was no longer alone.

He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, his long body streamlined in his black robes. He wore his bunraku paints lighter than he had in Konoha, purple accents drawing attention to his eyes and cheekbones, a sharp line cutting his chin in two. _The paint__ probably doesn't handle as well in the heat. _Her milk-stained stare caught his ebony one;_ _he has nice eyes,_ _she realized. Her gaze settled on his lips, and she tried to remember if she had ever seen them unpainted.

"Gawking is appreciated," the puppet user said with a smirk. Hinata felt her cheeks flush and averted her attention to her toes; the events of the night before rushed back to her, the panic and the tears, finding Kankuro in the desert, falling asleep against him. _Did he find Haruka?_ She knew she should ask, but mortification held her tongue.

She heard him shift, take a step towards her and pause. "Are you feeling better..?" He used the same tone as he had the night before, drawing a frown from the Hyuuga; it had been a long time since she needed someone to come to her rescue. _But I did revert to a crying child last night,_ her mind defended.

She cautiously looked up at him from beneath her bangs. "H-hai," she cursed her stutter, took a slow breath and lifted her chin properly. "Thank you, Kankuro-kun. I... Wasn't myself."

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged off her compliment. "You and I? We're stuck together for the next two years. Best to get all the awkward, weird stuff out in the open to start with." He finished crossing the room, twisted on his heel and plopped down beside her on the bed. "Me? I've been told I have a flair for the dramatic that borderlines insubordination." He sent her a wink. Hinata felt a smile twitch onto her face.

Kankuro leaned heavily onto the wall the bed was pushed against, absently raising an arm and waving a finger thru the air like a conductor. Hinata watched as a single chakra string extended from his digit and connected itself to the lacy curtains. "Do you like the room?"

"Hai."

He twitched the curtains open, then moved the string to the closet door. "Matsuri decorated it," he explained, tugging at the handle. When at first it didn't open, he extended two more strings and tried again. "You can take the other room if you prefer; only difference is you see sunrise here, sunset there."

The door jarred open, and she felt the puppeteer tense. "Here is fine."

"Good, good." His voice trailed off.

Hinata turned her head subtly to see him puffing out his cheeks in a bored fashion. _I'm not likely his idea of an ideal roommate._ She pulled her knees to her chest, reality sinking in; she was away from home, getting ready to have a baby, and enlisting the help of ninja to keep it secret. The other room flashed in her mind's eye, blue and orange and facing west. "... Did you find Haruka?" Kankuro frowned. He moved his chakra strings to the writing desk, pulling open the drawers one by one. _He's avoiding eye contact,_ she realized.

"Iie," he said at length. The bare room offered him no other distractions than her pack; she watched him resist the urge and let his chakra dissipate into the air before turning to look at her. "Gaara looked last night, and he has jounin looking right now. I convinced him to try once more after he gets some sleep - he only naps in the mornings, he can't sleep at night. But then he'll..." The puppeteer trailed off again, a calculated look behind his painted face as he considered which words to use.

"He'll have to tell the Hokage," Hinata finished. Kankuro nodded._ And my father._ She frowned, placing her hands on her stomach as her heart clenched. _She's scared, and overwhelmed. _She remembered the long lecture that her father had given both of them before they had left for Suna; he had detailed the next few years of both of their lives, with little room for question. _She's giving up the rest of her life, and she doesn't even really know why._ "Let me help find her."

Kankuro shook his head, his black hood obscuring the motion. "Gaara was clear about it. You are here as a guest, and my first responsibility is to keep you safe. Neither of us can go."

A gasp at the door caught her attention before she could respond; the brunette was back, a plate of food in hand. "Kankuro-san!" She scolded as she placed the food on the writing desk; Hinata felt her stomach grumble. "You have no manners! That is a lady's bed, you shouldn't be sitting in it so casually!"

"And this would be Matsuri-chan," Kankuro introduced. "I asked her to come meet you, as I'm sure my company with eventually grow tiresome."

"Tiresome is right!" Matsuri exclaimed. She made eye contact with Hinata, her speech grave. "Don't trust him: he's a narcissistic playboy!"

"I wouldn't go that far..."

"Says the man who takes twenty minutes to paint his face every morning."

"Well, yes. But I'm hardly a playboy."

"Says the man who-"

"Excuse me." Hinata interrupted politely. She waited until the two bickering ninja were both looking at her. "I would actually like to be alone right now."

Matsuri opened her mouth to speak, but Kankuro beat her. "Of course, ja." He stood up slowly, looming above Hinata with a smile. "You can leave whenever, but please let me know, ja? All the outside doors have chakra locks: I'll teach you how to open them when you feel up to it, but until then it's easier if I just escort you around. My room is upstairs," He pointed at the ceiling, then shook a finger at her. "And I know all about your byakugan! No peeking! If you need me just knock on the door in the kitchen."

Hinata could feel her pulse pounding in her ear; she knew that she probably looked like a tomato. Kankuro gave her another wink, then let Matsuri drag him away.

* * *

><p>The Kazekage scheduled four hours every morning for undisturbed rest, starting at sunrise. The Elder Council had at first objected, stating that it was unheard of to be unavailable at any hour. It had been Temari who eventually convinced them to simply try the arrangement, with the understanding that an emergency trumped even the soundest of beauty sleep. And in the end no one minded, since Gaara was always available well into the night and many of the council members enjoyed the guaranteed hours to get their own sleep.<p>

This morning, however, the sand user could not rest. He had shut the doors to his modest room in the Kage Tower, drawn open the blinds to let the sun's warmth in, and curled up on his cot; Normally, when he folded his arms over his eyes to feign darkness the first wave of the desert's heat lulled him to sleep. It embodied his relief, that another night had passed and his village was safe: he could stop worrying and let his shinobi do their jobs.

Today he had to worry about Hyuuga Haruka.

At ten an ANBU knocked softly on his door, a different person each morning. Gaara called them in, sitting up from his failed nap while counting the five seconds that each ANBU always waited on the other side of the door. _Kankuro never waits. Neither does Temari._ Fond thoughts about his siblings were less uncommon now than when he was a teen, but Gaara still found himself carefully putting them away in a corner of his mind.

The door opened. Gaara schooled his face and stood to face a broad shouldered shinobi wearing a red and black porcelain mask, the brown material of a turban obscuring the demon design. "Kazekage," a masculine voice emitted from the mask as the shinobi bowed his head in respect.

"Did you find Hyuuga Haruka?" Gaara asked.

"No Kazekage, we have not."

Gaara sighed, and turned to look out the window.

* * *

><p>She watched Matsuri retreat from the house as she wrapped the sandwich the younger woman had made for her, and waited until after Kankuro had climbed the stairs before studying the window. It appeared normal, even to her Byakugan, but she found divots in the frame when she ran her fingers over the wooden tracks. She looked thru the wood, where simple seals were imbued beneath the frame; testing the window, she watched as the seal activated and stopped the window from opening.<p>

She used juken and broke the seal.

Although Hinata knew that she wasn't trapped in the house, she still felt better with a quick escape route. She felt like a teenager again as she rolled through the window, landing in a crouch on the soft sand; it felt weird not to see Ino waiting for her on the other side, with plans to run around the village with Sakura or to drink sake with Shikamaru and Chouji. _How often had my father tried to keep me hidden behind walls, fearful that someone would snatch me while I was unguarded?_

She let the nostalgic memories fade away as she charged her feet and legs with chakra and jumped to the neighbouring roof. Turning, Hinata saw that Kankuro's room had several windows, all of which were currently being blocked by boxes. Secrecy secured, she pushed her byakugan to see the rest of the village, committing buildings to memory and mapping a route to the gates in her mind. Remembering her nausea from the day before Hinata deactivated her Byakugan before moving to the next rooftop, careful to watch out for Suna ANBU and jounin who may be on patrol.

Town square seemed more lively, with people moving between shops to get their days chores done and children playing on the street. Hinata paused to watch one child kick a ball between two unsuspecting adults, only to be chastised by an elderly woman with a basket. The heiress smiled, one hand on her stomach, then moving on.

She stopped again a couple hundred meters from where she remembered the gates being, and reactivated her byakugan. Tracing the stepped angle of the wall Hinata counted how many guards were atop. _Twenty one_. Pursing her lips she started moving again, paralleling the curve of the walls as she continued to look for the shinobi who protected the village.

She had been walking like that for twenty minutes when the nausea came back. Deactivating the byakugan quickly, she stumbled into the shade of a building and leaned heavily against the wall. Bile stung at the back of her throat, but she managed to settle her stomach as she sat on the warm ground. _I'm too hot_. She pulled the sandwich that Matsuri had made for her out of her pocket as she shed her jacket, and made quick work of the meal.

* * *

><p>Unpacking had never been one of Kankuro's favourite things; it probably sat somewhere beside packing on his list of dreaded tasks. <em>But it needs to be done,<em> he told himself as he collapsed onto his bed. He tried to see out the windows, but the genin that had been tasked with moving his workshop into the house the day before had made piles of cardboard and bags on top of the long countertop and against the walls, blocking off any natural source of light. The project felt daunting, and after the little amount of sleep he had managed since bringing Hinata back to Suna (And I haven't even finished recovering from my last mission! he added mentally) he desired nothing than to have a cold beer or a hot sake and to just relax. He fell back against the bed.

_I wonder if Gaara has left yet?_ The puppeteer groaned, his mind still racing. _This was supposed to be an easy mission, and already something dramatic is happening!_ He pouted, despite the lack of audience, and turned his head to look towards the stairs.

It had been maybe an hour since Hinata had requested time alone, and in his head he knew that the heiress needed it. _I still need time to sort out everything that's happened._ Closing his eyes he mentally tried to figure out what he would have to do if Haruka couldn't be found._ Gaara's right, we would have to tell the Hokage. And I guess Hinata's father?_ He frowned, his mind colouring in the details of what might change in terms of his top-secret-babysitting-mission. _I guess that means that Hinata would take care of the kid herself?_

He liked that idea. He could imagine the Hyuuga woman taking care of a kid, even by herself. _Probably a girl,_ he decided. _One that'll be just as quiet as she is; like mother like daughter._ He couldn't figure out what her motivation to have a baby really was, especially when it seemed like she only wanted to push the child onto someone else. _But that's probably, as Temari says, my "mother complex" talking._

His heart panged, and he rolled onto his stomach. Crawling over his bed, he hung upsidedown over the edge and reached into the darkness under the bed frame. He fished for a small box he remembered shoving there himself, and smiled when he succeeded. Shifting awkwardly onto his elbows and then perching back on his ankles and knees, the puppeteer pulled a leather writing case onto the blankets next to him. He sat back, crossing his legs as he pulled out a scroll, some ink, and a quill.

_Hey Temari_

_How's Konoha? Has Ino thrown you one of her parties yet? How's Shikamaru? You're going to teach at the Academy for the two years you're there, ja? How are the kids?_

_Hyuuga Hinata arrived last night with her cousin, and Gaara gave us a house to stay in for the two years that she's here. Only, something has already gone wrong; Hinata's cousin ran off into the desert by herself, and now Gaara is trying to find her. He won't let me help, says I have to "take care of Hinata". Bah._

_I remembered Mom today. It's her birthday coming up, ja? We would always go to her grave together, but this year you'll be in Konoha, and I don't think I'm allowed to take a vacation from taking care of Konoha's littlest princess. Maybe Gaara will come with me? I'll have to ask, but you know how he is about Mom._

_I miss you_

_Kankuro_

He put the scroll aside to dry, then stood up with a stretch. Against his better judgment Kankuro headed to the stairs, wanting to hear someone's, _anyone's_, voice. He took the narrow steps two at a time, his brain already cooking up an excuse. "Hinata-chan!" He sang out loud as he strode across the kitchen. "Would you like to see the village?" Three more large steps brought him to the heiress's door; Kankuro knocked twice, then pushed it open. "We could go talk to Gaara and-"

He faltered once he realized the room was empty. "Kuso!" Scanning the interior, he saw the open windows and frowned. A well placed dent marked where a skilled ninja had forcibly broken the seal on the frame.

He crossed the room and inspected the dent closely for fowl play. Dismissing the idea of a kidnapping, the puppeteer concluded that Hinata had most likely gone in search of her cousin. Kankuro shook his head as he smiled, amusement lighting behind his eyes even as frustration settled in his mind. _She's definitely a kunoichi. _

* * *

><p>Once her stomach had settled Hinata stood and walked right up to the wall. The guards had moved on in their patrol and Hinata predicted their movements to stay between them as she walked, an easy habit from repeated track and procure missions. <em>If I had to get into Suna secretly, how would I do it?<em> She spent a couple of minutes simply breathing before she activated byakugan again.

She looked past the wall and jumped: there stood Haruka. Hinata turned, placing both palms flat against the stone as she peered thru the wall. Her cousin peered back, and Hinata recognized the lost, hurt look in Haruka's eyes. _Haruka is using byakugan as well,_ but the heiress could see how her cousin was straining to hold it in place.

"Why?" Hinata pronounced the words slowly, making sure the chunin could read her lips. "Why did you run?"

Haruka looked away, leaning her brow against the other side of the wall. Hinata tilted her head as her cousin's lips moved._ "Sorry."_

Hinata's heart clenched. She waited for Haruka to look up again. "Why haven't you entered the village? You are expected."

The other girl bit her lip. It was like a mirror, and Hinata remembered the first time she had run to Kurenai; she hadn't been strong enough to be a heiress then, and running had seemed the easiest solution. _But I could have made a different choice._ "Do you want to go home?" She asked quietly. Haruka frowned; Hinata raised her head and tried again. "You didn't have to come here if you didn't want to."

Haruka pointed a finger. _"Behind you."_

Hinata turned her head to check her blind spot, only to see Kankuro a block away and walking perpendicular to her position. Hinata felt guilty, but turned back to her cousin. "Please, just show yourself to the guards. They'll take you to the Kazekage, and after we can talk." Hinata tapped her index fingers together awkwardly. "Please?"

Haruka nodded. She charged her feet and started climbing Suna's wall. Hinata kept Haruka in her gaze until the other Hyuuga had mounted the wall; the guardsmen, startled, rushed towards the chuunin with weapons drawn. Haruka raised her hands calmly in surrender, and one guard approached her from behind to restrain her. Hinata watched as she spoke to the rest of the guards, who were slowly putting their weapons away.

Breathing a sigh of relief Hinata deactivated her byakugan and turned away from the wall; she picked up an easy pace as she ran to where she had seen Kankuro. The puppeteer was already a couple blocks farther along his path, causing the heiress to approach him from behind.

She knew when he noticed her, because his steps slackened to a stroll. He didn't look up until Hinata fell into step beside him, and then it was with a grin. "You could've told me you wanted to leave, ja?" He tried to look serious, but Hinata could see laughter behind his eyes.

"Gomen," she apologized with a bow of her head.

Kankuro shrugged. "You aren't a prisoner here." He folded his arms over his chest. "But just between us ninja, you are pulling all of the 'worst-client-ever' moves. Disarming perfectly good protection seals? Disappearing without a word? Would you put up with that on a mission?"

Hinata looked away, worrying a hole into her lip. _He's right._ "I knew I would find her."

"Your cousin?"

"Hai."

"And did you?"

Hinata smiled. "Hai."

Kankuro smiled back. "Then it was worth it." Hinata's felt something warm push at her chest. _He believes in me._ The puppeteer managed to school his expression. "Seriously now. Me, bodyguard. You, pregnant beneficiary." He gestured toward the heart of the village. "Let me show you to Kage Tower; if your cousin has been found, she'll end up there. Then I'll show you around the village."


	13. The Other Story

**The Other Story**

The village was setting up for the Firefly Festival; the entire Aburame Clan was out in force, coaxing the skittish insects into a thousand lanterns, while dozens of genin teams were tasked with stringing the lanterns throughout the square. The first of the vendors were already setting up for the week long festivities, decadent scents wafting over the crowds starting to form in excitement for the fireworks that night.

Temari sighed happily. _I love festivals. Thank you Gaara!_

"You're late," a familiar voice yawned from her right. She turned to see Shikamaru, sitting on the ground perched against the wall. Temari could see the small pile of cigarette butts beside him.

"Awe, you waited for me?" she smiled, walking up to the shadow-user and helping him to a stand. _I wonder what Ino-pig will think..._ "Did you miss me?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and stepped past the blond. "I don't want to get in the middle of one of you and Ino's fights."

Temari matched his steps easily. "What does Ino have to do with you missing me?" She asked, a little too forcibly.

"Don't speak for me."

_Ugh,_ she deflated a little, falling behind Shikamaru as she collected her thoughts. _How long since the last time I was in Konoha? A year?_ She eyed Shikamaru's back, remembering the petty schemes she had used him in her quest to get under Ino's skin. _It wouldn't be so much fun if she wasn't so insistent that there's nothing between them._ Temari composed herself as she recognized where they were walking._ We're almost at the flower shop!_

She pulled a smile on her face as she vaulted at the shadow-user's back. She wrapped her arms around him, one draped around his neck and the other steadying herself along his shoulder. She leaned on him, breasts pushed into his back as she stretched closer to his ear. He tensed, turning his cheek away from her pouting lips. "Can you at least accept that I missed you?"

"No," he told her flatly. "Ino's already kind of mad that you asked for me to be your escort for these two years. She almost blew up when I told her I was picking you up from the gates."

Temari cheered internally. _I knew asking specifically for Shikamaru would drive her crazy!_ "She's just jealous," the wind user sighed, pulling just far enough away to hold onto Shikamaru's arm instead.

"She's not jealous." He told her. She didn't miss the hint of disappointment buried beneath years of practiced nonchalance. "She's fed up with your stupid juvenile way of flirting with me to get to her. Because she's my friend and doesn't think you should jerk me around like that."

_Drat._ Temari sighed, her mind already parsing out a solution. "You're right, I shouldn't be jerking you around like that. I'll stop being so frivolous with our conversations."

Shikamaru eyed her cautiously. "Good." She sweetly smiled at him. _I've got two years to either steal him away for good, or for Ino to wake up and smell the forest. No need to rush things._ In response he pulled out a cigarette, untangling his arm from Temari's grasp to light it. "I rejected the mission to escort you."

Temari blinked. "Then why did you meet me at the gates?"

"I didn't think you'd like it if TenTen showed up with no explanation as to why."

She frowned. "But why? You're always my escort." She stared at him until he squirmed, refusing to meet her eyes. Temari gasped. "You're finally going to do it, aren't you?"

He glared at her, ushering her forward. "Do what?"

"Ask out Ino," Temari bounced a little, a little giddy at the thought of romance. "When are you going to do it?"

"I'm not- Temari, listen." His face darkened. "Ino has made it clear, on more than one occasion, that there is nothing going on between her and me."

She rolled her eyes and continued on the path to Hokage Tower. "Yes, Ino has made it perfectly clear," she nodded, not surprised when he was walking beside her again half a moment later. "But you always just let her do all the denying, and tell everyone they're being 'troublesome' if they ask."

"So?" he shrugged. Temari starred, and it was his turn to sigh. "So maybe I've had a revelation or two. It'd just be troublesome if I said anything."

She smiled again, leaning into his side. "Well then, if you aren't going to ask her," she pressed a kiss into his cheek. "Then there's nothing wrong with a little bit of flirting while I'm here?" He opened his mouth to object. "I promise," she placed a finger on his lips to quiet him. "I'll be more serious about it. Nothing frivolous."

He rolled his eyes, but didn't say no as he pulled her hand away from his face and continued to push her towards Hokage Tower. "How's Kankuro?"

The blond laughed. "He was pissed about your letter!" She chuckled, remembering the look on her brother's face. "Arigatou, for telling me. It was fun to tease him."

Shikamaru shrugged, flicking the ash off of the tip of his cigarette. "That woman really had him twisted in knots."

"What can you tell me about her?"

"Just what I already said," he took a deep drag.

"Walk me through the night?" She asked. "I want to know what kind of woman makes my brother look twice."

Shikamaru raised a brow at her and sighed, blowing smoke in her face. "We were at the Masked Festival," he relented. "It took me a little while to figure out who he was making googly eyes with; then someone else tried to pick her up, he got a little jealous, twisted the guy's wrist, and left with the woman."

"Oooo~ my little brother is so macho!" Temari chuckled. "Whose wrist did he hurt?"

She thought she saw the shadow user hesitate. "It was a masked festival." He shrugged. "I don't exactly recall who the guy was pretending to be, just that Kankuro didn't like the guy."

The wind user didn't like that answer, but something else nagged for her attention. "How did he dress up?"

"He didn't."

"Come on," Temari nudged his side softly. "I thought there weren't any secrets between us?"

"It's the truth," Shikamaru insisted. "He wore plain clothes, left the hood at home, and cleaned the paint off of his face. I hardly recognized him."

She hummed, her mind tucking all the information away. _He does look a lot like dear ol' dad when he dresses down._ Seeing Hokage Tower not too far ahead, Temari leaned against the shadow user again. _But that doesn't matter. I've only got two years for this._ "Shikamaru? Can we go for lunch?"

* * *

><p>"Did you see that!" Ino screeched, breaking the chrysanthemums in her hand. Chouji hastily removed the scissors from his friend's reach. "<em>Right<em> in front of the shop! You saw that, right?" Her blue eyes were suddenly pinning him down, her face red with rage.

"Uh..." Chouji fumbled with the scissors and dropped them on the floor. _Best to distract her._ "Kurenai said she wants to take us to lunch. Are you coming?" Just thinking about food made Chouji's stomach rumble.

Ino wasn't paying attention, already out from behind the counter and walking towards the window. She parted the window arrangements and leaned into the glass, looking as far down the street as her limitations would allow. "I can't believe she's still pulling that sort of crap!"

"But she's still your friend, right?" Chouji asked meekly. _Ino's scary..._

"Please, as if I'd let a boy get between my friendships," the blonde exclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her as she turned away from the windows. "Especially Shikamaru!" Ino laughed, but Chouji didn't think it sounded genuine. As if to prove his point the blond huffed, her face darkening. "I've told him, that woman is only toying with him to get a reaction out of me!" She didn't move from her spot, her yellow and purple floral arrangement forgotten on the counter.

Chouji looked to the exit, then lifted a hand to fumble with his piercing. _I hate this part of being friends with Ino._ "Well, what if she isn't?"

"Isn't what?" Ino asked, her regular tone returning as the colour in her cheeks evened out.

"What if she isn't going after him just to get a rise out of you?"

Ino's blue eyes pierced him again. She rolled them, then pulled her hair over her shoulder to comb her fingers through. "Of course she does it to annoy me, why else would she?"

"Well..." He tried to come up with a different angle. His mind blanked, and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Why does it annoy you?"

"I've explained this!" She was tapping her foot now. "It annoys me that she's pulling him along to get under my skin!"

"You don't make sense," Chouji complained. "At least it made sense when you were pissed at Sakura-chan."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Chouji sighed. "When you and Sakura both liked Sasuke, you just made Sakura your rival and chased after Sasuke," he explained. "You won't make Temari your rival, because you say you don't like Shikamaru; but you complain about her all the time for flirting with Shikamaru, which is getting in the way of your friendship with him."

"When did you get so critical?" She deflected the question casually, one thin eyebrow arched at him. Chouji knew better, _b__ut Shikamaru is the only one allowed to see behind her mask. _

"Meany," he stuck his tongue out at her, and flinched appropriately when she approached him and punched his arm. "We've been teammates for a long time now, I'd like to think that I know you."

Ino hugged him. "Of course you know me, you glutton!" She pulled away, her bad mood seemingly gone.

He stood up, his full height towering over his blond teammate. "Did you still want to go to lunch?"

* * *

><p>Hands pulled away the first layer of clothes, until skin scorched skin and and limbs tangled together. He lead her gently, his lips never leaving her own, until her knees touched the back of the bed. Her arms wrapped around his body; he steadied their descent with a hand, kissing her into the mattress when <em>it<em> happened.

Something banged on the door, stopping the two ninja. "Mama!" A little voice cried. "M'm hungie!"

Kakashi groaned, but consented to let Kurenai free. He dropped to the bed by himself, watching her with one eye as she hastily pulled her shirt back on, pausing to check the fasteners on her pants.

"Sorry," she smiled, honey dripping from her voice. "I told Asa we would go out for lunch with Chouji and Ino today, after her nap; I'll have to make it up to you later."

"Hn," he managed a shrug. The red eyed woman leaned over, pressed a kiss to the copy-nin's temple, and rushed to open the door for and pick up the hungry child.

Asa looked at him from over her mother's shoulder, and waved. Kakashi waved back to be polite, which caused the little girl to giggle and call out as her mother took her down the hall. "Bye papa-shi!"

Kakashi blinked, a small nugget of guilt worrying at the back of his mind. He sat up in Kurenai's bed, his gaze falling onto the picture of Asuma on the bedside table. He heard the front door open and close as the leading lady in his personal narrative left, then dragged himself up to replace his scattered clothes, then hesitated A copy of Icha Icha Violence lay open at the foot of the bed, exactly where the two adults had left it a after Kakashi had succumbed to Kurenai's request; She wanted to listen to him read.

He found a scrap piece of paper and a pen and opened the book to another passage. He jotted a note, making sure the words were still visible when he closed the volume and carefully laid it on Kurenai's pillow. _'Your turn to read.'_

* * *

><p>"He's late!" Kiba complained. He continued pacing between where Shino was leaning against a tree and where Akamaru was stretched out in the sun. "He said one o'clock!"<p>

"Hai," Shino replied.

"He's always bloody late!" The tattooed man growled, the sound feral in the back of his throat. His back was to Shino; the kichai-user watched as Kiba bent to rub Akamaru's exposed belly. "How are we supposed to work out new team dynamics, if the team leader isn't even here!?"

_He just needs to vent. _"Hai."

"He's supposed to fill in for Hinata's byakugan," Kiba's voice was quieter this time, and he sat on the ground. "You can't just replace that technique. We need to figure out a new strategy."

Shino watched his friend, the pained look on his stubborn face._ A lost boy._ "We can always request another Byakugan user to take Hinata-san's place."

"No!" He barked. "That's stupid! Who could replace Hinata?"

Shino counted to ten in his head. "Not replace," he stated calmly. "Just to substitute, until she gets back."

Kiba didn't respond. Akamaru barked, rolled onto his stomach, and laid his head in Kiba's lap. The tattooed man scratched the massive dog behind his ears, a frown set on his face. "I could find out who it was."

"Who what was?"

"That guy!" Kiba scowled. "Mr Tall, Dark, and Jerkface. The one who got Hinata pregnant!"

_This again. _Shino sighed. "Hinata doesn't want that."

"He's got a responsibility now," Kiba said. "Akamaru never forgets a scent. We can start looking and-"

"Kiba." The dog lover stopped, and looked up at Shino. _He looks broken._ "She already made her choice. Stop questioning it." Akamaru barked again, and Shino shifted his weight forward and off of the tree. "I want to train for ANBU."

Kiba frowned. "But what about the best tracking team in the five ninja countries?"

"It's broken." Shino drew two kunai and took up a fighting stance. "We aren't that team without Hinata; instead of holding onto something lost, let's keep moving forward."

* * *

><p>Someone had brought him coffee, bitter and black and too hot to drink. He held it between his hands, the warm porcelain a comfort after his lack of sleep. The knock on the door was expected; Two of the guards from atop the wall walked in, a dark haired woman between them. Pristine white eyes looked up to meet his own.<p>

"Leave her here, thank you," Gaara dismissed the guards. He watched them share a look before bowing out of his office, leaving the Kazekage alone with the slender woman.

Hyuuga Haruka made a splendid body double. She stood a little taller, her frame a little narrower than what he could remember of Hinata, but Haruka had the same shade of raven blue hair and the same wide white eyes.

Gaara carefully took a sip of his coffee, then placed the mug down. "I should send you back to Konoha."

"You can't!" Her tone was strong, but the panic on her face gave her away. "I must do this mission for my clan, I'm the only one who can replace Hinata." Gaara waited for her to remember her place, to grow timid in the presence of a Kage. Instead she walked straight up to his desk, slammed her palms into the wood, leaned over and glared down her nose at him. "Whatever misgivings about my disappearance are the concern of _my clan_, not yours."

He considered standing, to exude dominance over the situation by clashing his will against hers, but choose instead to take another sip from his mug. "Today there is peace," Gaara mused. "Today a simple favor of housing a ninja from another village is easy, welcome." He looked into Haruka's white eyes and watched her resolve weaken. "There was a time when an unescorted ninja would've been killed on sight." The colour drained from her pale face, and she stepped back from the desk with a mumbled apology. He turned in his seat, gazed out his window in quiet longing. "What is your mission?"

"To stay with Hinata."

Her voice was confident, strong, warm. Gaara closed his eyes and pretended she was as stable as she sounded. "And?"

She faltered. "To protect her, as ordered by my clan leader."

"And?"

"To take her place if the Byakugan is at risk."

A frown marred his eyes as he looked at her again; Confusion was spread across her face. "There are no secrets from me," he practiced patience. "Your reason for being here?"

She hesitated, casting her eyes about his office. At length she found her voice, smaller than before. "I'm here to become the mother of Hinata's baby."

His toes curled, the sandstone beneath him liquidating for just a moment. "A mother shouldn't run from her responsibilities."

Haruka frowned. "That is exactly what Hinata is doing."

He looked away from her, displeasure coursing behind his veins. "From what little information I have seen, the situation is not that simple." Another sip of coffee.

She crossed her arms, frowning. "I still fail to see how my family affairs concern you, Kazekage-dono."

"Hinata is a friend of a friend of mine," he explained. "And she has been left as my charge, as have you." He wrapped both hands around his mug again, seeking it's comfortable warmth. "If you can't fulfill your mission, I would rather send you home."

She let out a frustrated snarl, drawing back Gaara's attention. Her fists were clenched at her side, her entire body tense. "I _do_ want to help Hinata." Her voice was pained, broken.

"You should have followed the mission details," he pushed.

"I should have," she agreed, tears in her eyes. "But she's still _family_. I _will_ help her."

They started at each other, green meeting white. She wouldn't let her tears fall, but was too proud to wipe them away. At length Gaara nodded and turned back to the window, his displeasure replaced by a tired anxiety.

He heard the door open and close, and she was gone.


End file.
